
Class _l£H 

Book >LJl 

Copyright N° ___ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr. 



The Messianic Message 



OF THE 

Old Testament. 



CLINTON LOCKHART, A. M., Ph. D., 

Pnofessor. of Biblical 'Literature, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, 
author of. Principles of- Interpretation, etc. 



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COPY 3. 



Copyright 1905 by 
CLIXTOX LOCKHART 



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"So, take and use this work, 

Amend what flaws may lurk, 
What strain o ! the stuff, what warpings past the aim! 

My times be in thy hand! 

Perfect the thought as planned! 
Let wisdom test the truth, and faith pursue the same." 

— Amended from Browning. 



'Speak, Lord; for thy sefbant hearefh. '" 



PREFACE. 



The man who attempts to describe, or even to photograph, 
jewels, nmst confess that his best representations cannot convey 
their lustre and brilliance. It is a better service to exhibit the 
gems themselves, and with them to contribute a statement of 
their history and value. Even then many a casual observer will 
fail to understand their worth and to appreciate their beauty. 
The messages of the Hebrew prophets are more precious than 
jewels, and deserve a much more careful consideration. In the 
present work their utterances are quoted, translated and arranged 
in such a form as to bear as nearly as possible their original 
freshness and vigor; historical and literary settings, which are 
not less, but rather more, vital in prophecy than iu other por- 
tions of the Bible, are studiously set forth; and, with becoming 
reserve, and still with hearty, appreciative faith, the Messianic 
import is frankly estimated. The writer, however, dares uot 
presume that all the divine excellence of each great prophecy is 
reflected in these pages; but he is content to hope that, on the 
one hand, the scholar may here find some acceptable sugges- 
tions, and that, on the other hand, the common reader may have 
reason to rejoice in a clearer perception of that wonderful wis- 
dom that spoke through the prophets of old. 

Rarely does an author of a work of this nature write under 
favorable circumstances. In the midst of many cares and toils, 
often encumbered with matters remote in character from the 
greal theme of his study, delayed by many an unforeseen dis- 
turbance, and brought to pause by many a difficult and tedious 
problem, the author of such a work prosecutes his dearest and 
most sacred task; and when it is done, and has passed the press, 



his last wish is that he had the privilege and the leisure to re- 
write many a page. To this rule the presenl writer cannot 
arrogantly claim to be an exception; but disregarding numerous 
interruptions, he rejoices over many years of communion with 
the prophets and the pleasure of teaching and discussing in 
classroom over and over the material presented in this work. No 
man can study these priceless prophecies without great personal 
gain. Even the garments of a jeweler become filled with the 
dust of precious metals ; and much more are the hearts and lives 
of those enriched who are permitted freely and long to gather 
out of the very mines of prophetic wealth. In this the writer 
finds for his labor abundant compensation. 

In writing the author has been often sadly reminded that the 
limitations of space forbade an adequate treatment of dates, 
authorship and text, although in the nature of his study he has 
been forced to investigate those questions and to assume posi- 
tions: but since such discussions are appreciated chiefly by 
scholars, and their presence here would burden, if not annoy, 
the general reader, it has seemed wise to reserve this material 
for another work, which, if Providence permit, will appear in a 
few years. The author regrets that it is not ready to go out 
with this publication. 

In respect to form, the writer has been influenced to some ex- 
tent by the need he has felt of a convenient manual on Messianic 
Prophecy for use in college ; for he is fully convinced that the 
time has come when no biblical seminary can afford to omit from 
its course of instruction this fundamental branch of Old Testa- 
ment study. The thought of the prophets is the very soul of the 
Hebrew Scriptures. Neither a teacher nor a student can feel 
thai a study of the Old Testament is complete without it. With 
a desire to adapt the book to the growing demand for a text on 
the subject, certain features of arrangement have been planned, 
and the treatment has been made as concise as comprehensiveness 
and perspicuity would permit. It is believed that the sideheads 
will be valued both by the student in college and by the usual 
reader in the library. They will in many cases enable the man 
of haste to grasp the content of a page at a single glance. In 



like manner the headings of the several prophecies are designed 
to express their chief thoughts, and hence possess a certain 
analytical value. 

As to acknowledgements, the writer is grateful to a thousand 
sources of information and suggestion: but he is especially in- 
debted to a few leading writers whose devout spirits and reverent 
scholarship have made them worthy to be daily companions ; 
more still is he indebted to the great prophets themselves, whose 
lives, loyal amidst disloyalty, and whose words, faithful among 
the faithless, have been an unfailing attraction to the mind, an 
unceasing and increasing joy to the heart; but most of all he 
feels indebted to Him, after whom the prophets yearned, on 
whom the hope of Israel was set, and to whom now and evermore 
the world looks for justification and redemption — to Him for a 
task to love, for inspiration to study, for His glorious kingdom 
as a theme, and for His people's blessing as a motive. to write 
this book. If any reader finds in these pages any vision of truth, 
any ideal of life, any soul-rest in hope, let the acknowledgement 
ever be to Him. 

Clinton Lockhart. 

Drake University. 



" These three things, the highest boons of God to 
men— a moral Hero, a kingdom of the good, and the 
moral Hero making Himself the king of that kingdom by 
spiritual insight and self-sacrifice, as the sufferiiig ser-- 
vant of God — are the chief fruitage of that remarkable 
group of prophecies usually called Messianic, which em- 
body the optimistic ideals of Hebrew seers." 

A. B. Bruce. 



CONTENTS. 



Character of Hebrew Prophecy. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE MEANING OF TERMS. 

Prophet and prophecy defined ' 17 

Use of Seer for prophet 18 

Other terms for prophet 3 9 

The title Prophetess 19 

CHAPTER II. 

THE MANNER OF DIVINE COMMUNICATION. 

1 . By dreams 20 

2. By visions of the eyes — sense visions 22 

3. By visions of the mind — mental visions 24 

4 . By simple inspiration 27 

5 . By urim and thummim 32 

6 . By casting lots 33 

CHAPTER III. 

THE FALSE PROPHETS. 

1 . Source of their prophecy 35 

2. Test of their prophecies 36 

CHAPTER IV. 

PERIODS OF PROPHETIC ACTIVITY. 

1 . The early Old Testament period 39 

2 . The medieval Old Testament period 39 

3. The later Old Testament period 40 

4 . The New Testament period 40 

CHAPTER V. 

THE NATURE OF PROPHETIC INSTRUCTION. 

1 . Religious instruction . . . . 42 

2 . Legal and political direction 46 



12 CONTENTS. 

3. Prediction. 

(1) The themes of prediction 4S- 

i The relation to the times 4S 

(3) Limitations to prediction 53 

CHAPTER VI. 
THE OBJECT OF HEBREW PROPHECY. 

1 . To unfold Gcd 's design 56 

2. To reveal the elements of moral law 56 

3. To establish a true religion 57 

4. To guide Israel to her high destiny 57 

5 . To usher in the new kingdom 58 



Utterances of Hebrew Prophets. 

CHAPTER I. 

PATRIARCHAL PROPHECIES. 

1 . Preliminary note 59 

2. The image of God 61 

3 . The victory of the race , ■ • 63 

4 . The stability of the earth 65 

5 . The blessing of Shem 67 

6. The Abrahamic promises and covenants 68 

7. The promises to Isaac and Jacob 74 

8 . The blessing of Judah 76 

9 . The blessing of Joseph 79 

Summary 82 

CHAPTER II. 
MOSAIC PROPHECIES. 

1 . Israel 's adoption 84 

2. Israel's national character 86 

3 . Balaam 's blessings 87 

4. Covenant of everlasting priesthood 92 

5. Prophet like Moses 94 

Summary 96 

CHAPTER III. 
DAVIDIC PROPHECIES. 

1. The faithful priesthood 98 

2 . The covenant with David 99 

3 . The Messianic king and priest 102 

4. The Son of Jehovah enthroned 106 

5 . The Messianic reign 110 

6. The marriage of the Messianic king 113 



CONTENTS. 13 

7. Deliverance by Jehovah lij 

8. Triumphal entry of the king 118 

9 . The glory of man 120 

10 . Deliverance from death 122 

11 . The suffering one 125 

Summary 1-29 

CHAPTER IV. 
THE PROPHECIES OF AMOS AND HOSEA. 

1 . The ruined house of David rebuilt 133 

2 . Compassion to rejected Israel 137 

3 . Efforts toward restoration 139 

Summary 144 

CHAPTER V. 

PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH'S TIME. 

1 . The coming king of peace 146 

2 . The restoration of Israel 148 

3. The rejected shepherd 149 

4. Isaiah 's commission 152 

5 . Jehovah 's exalted house 155 

6 . The purification of Zion 157 

7 . Immanuel 160 

8 . The wonderful counselor 165 

9 . The shoot of the stock of Jesse 167 

10 . The turning of the nations 171 

11 . The corner-stone 174 

12. Zion and her king 177 

13. God in His city 181 

14. The ruler from Bethlehem 183 

Summary 187 

CHAPTER VI. 
PROPHECIES OF JEREMIAH'S TIME. 

1 . Judgment and restoration 190 

2. Gentiles reborn in Zion 193 

3. The advent of Jehovah 195' 

4 . Jehovah 's throne in Jerusalem 198 

5. The righteous branch 200 

6. The restoration and the new covenant 203 

7 . Permanence of David 's covenant 208 

Summary 210 

CHAPTER VII. 

PROPHECIES OF THE EXILE. 

1. The stone cut out of the mountain 212 

,2 . The reign of the son of man 213 



14 CONTENTS. 

3. The seventy weeks 215 

4. The great retribution 224 

5. The one heart and new spirit Z29 

6. The majestic cedar 232 

7. The reserved mitre and crown .' 233 

S . The Davidic shepherd 236 

9 . Israel 's purification . 238 

10 . The resurrection of dry bones 240 

1 1 . The unity of Judah and Israel 243 

12. The fall of the enemy 245 

13 . Israel 's ideal future 247 



CHAPTER VIII. 

UNDATED PROPHECIES. 

Section I. Prophecies of Doom. 

1 . The doom of Babylon 251 

2 . Miscellaneous oracles 258 

Against Assyria, 258. Against Philistia, 259. Against 
Moab. 261. Against Damascus and Ephraim, 262. 
Against the Assyrians, 264. Against an Ethiopian alli- 
ance, 265. Against Egypt, 266. Against Egypt again, 268. 
Against Babylon again, 269. Against Edom, 272. Against 
Arabia, 272. Against Jerusalem, 273. Against Shebna, 275. 
Against Tyre. 277. 

3 . General judgment 281 

4. The doom of Edom 289 

Sec/ion II. Prophecies of the Sufferer. 

1 . The acceptable offering 294 

2 . The cry for help 296 

3 . Jehovah the sufferer 's refuge 297 

Section III. Prophecies of the Servant. 

1 . The announcement of the Servant 299 

2 . Protection of Jehovah 's Servant 301 

3. The dignity of the Servant 's calling 305 

4 . The Servant 's humiliation and reward 308 

Section IV. Prophecies of Reformation. 

1 . The free invitation 320 

2 . The rich reward 326 

3. The divine interposition 328 

4. The minister of grace 330 

5 . The way of holiness 335 

Section V. Prophecies of Restoration. 
1 . A proclamation of comfort 340 



CONTENTS. 15 

2 . Deliverance by Cyrus 341 

3 . The faithfulness of Jehovah 348 

4 . Promises to the righteous 360 

5 . The future glory of Zion 364 

6 . Eemarriage of Zion to Jehovah 367 

7 . Jerusalem a scene of judgment 370 

Section VI. Prophecies of the Spirit atid Vindication. 

1 . The outpouring of the Spirit 376 

2. Israel's vindication and prosperity 379 

CHAPTER IX. 

PROPHECIES OF THE RESTORATION. 

1 . The rebuilding of the temple 383 

2 . Jehovah 's dwelling in Jerusalem 389 

3 . The man named Branch 394 

4 . The smitten shepherd • 399 

5 . That remarkable day 402 

6 . The coming messenger 406 

7 . The ideal man 409 

8. The ideal God 412 

9 . The ideal praise 414 



, ..T^^^ROPHECY under paganism never grew into a practical and di- 
I J recting power; and even the great Roman poet, captivated as he 
X w as by its ancient utterance, and the beauty of its promise, yet 

could do no more with it than convert it into a court compliment, 
and connect its romantic associations with the prospect of the new-born 
heir of the Pollios. But as soon as prophecy found a receptacle in the 
chosen race, it grew strong, it became an architect and builder, it raised 
institutions, it enacted ordinances. In Abraham it founded a family, in 
Moses it framed a law, in David it erected a kingdom. The Hebrew peo- 
ple from the first gave prophecy a fixed home, and the nation became the 
regular and guarded depository of the sacred gift. The Jewish community 
was the fort of prophecy, maintaining and keeping up the inspired expecta- 
tion, protecting it from outside blasts, and surrounding it with institutions 
and schools; so that, preserved as a directing influence among them, it pre- 
pared a practical reception for the Messiah; and founded that body of 
thought in the nation which welcomed Him who fulfilled the promise when 
He came, and in that welcome founded the Christian Church. Prophecy 
had thus the most striking practical result, and proved itself an instrument 
of real efficiency and power." 

— Mozley : Riding Ideas in Early Ages. 



The Messianic Message, 



Character of Hebrew Prophecy. 



Prophet. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE MEANING OF TERMS. 

The word prophet does not mean primarily, as 
many scholars have supposed, one who shows 
forth; nor does it mean one who speaks beforehand ; but it means 
strictly one who speaks for another. The prophet among the 
Hebrews was one who spoke for God. He was the medium 
through whom God gave a direct message to men. Among the 
Greeks the same idea prevailed; and hence Aeschylus, writing 
of Apollo, who was the spokesman for his god, says, "Apollo is 
the- prophet of ,Zeus." 

Prophecy ^ ie wor( ^ prophecy, as derived from the Greek 

prophet eia, means the gift of revealing the di« 

vine will. The Greek terms for prophet and prophecy were 

first used in senses suited to the. ancient Greek religion; and 

*The literature on Messianic Prophecy is extensive, but much of it has 
a very limited value, partly because of unscientific methods of inter- 
pretation, and partly for lack of a knowledge of Hebrew antiquities. 
Among many books the following- may be profitably consulted: Gloag's 
Messianic Prophecies; Briggs' Mes. Proph.; Edersheim's Prophecy and 
History in relation to the Messiah; W. F. Adeney's Hebrew Utopia, 
a study of Mes. Proph.; Eiehm's Mes. Proph.; Wood's Hope of Israel; 
Orelli's Old Test. Proph. of the Consummation of the Kingdom of God;. 



18 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

usually signified the communication of divine thought to one 
in an unconscious ecstacy, who afterward revealed it to others. 
These words were then transferred into Christian literature as 
equivalents of Hebrew words used in the Old Testament, and 
made to bear Jewish ideas of prophecy. As the Jewish ideas 
were in many respects different from those of the Greeks, the 
words were forced into new meanings, the exact nature of 
which must be determined by a careful study of prophecy as 
exhibited in the Old Testament. 

The Old Testament use of the word prophet 
ment Use." ^ s most readily seen by comparing Ex. 7:1, 

"Aaron shall be thy prophet," with Ex. 4:16, 
'"He shall be thy spokesman unto the people, and it shall come 
to pass that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to 
him as God." While Aaron is called Moses' prophet, it is ex- 
plained that he is simply a spokesman for Moses unto the people, 
that he is a mouth for Moses, who in giving the revelation occu- 
pied the place of God. From this it is clear that the prophet 
was not primarily a predicter of events to come, but rather a 
herald of a divine message. 

The word seer was sometimes used for prophet. 

In 1 Sam. 9:9, an explanatory statement 
is made for the use of the word seer in Samuel's day. that "he 
thai is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer." 
This means that at the time of the writer of this verse (prob- 
ably later than Hie original writing of I Samuel i the word 
prophet was used, and meant the same as the word seer meant 
in Samuel's day.* It is notable, however, that the word prophet 

Delitzsch's Mes. Prophecies in Historical Succession; Goodspeed's Is- 
rael's .Mis. Hope; and many others which in whole or in part treat the 
subject with interest. Valuable articles may be found in the leading 
Encyclopaedias and the later Bible Dictionaries, also in all the leading 
- reviews. Commentaries on various Messianic portions of the 
old Testament are valuable, but the older works of this Hass are badly 
antiquated by modern research, for full lists of works, see Riehm's 
Mes. Proph., new edition, or Goodspeed's Israel's Mes. Hope. 

*On the possibility that the seer and the prophet were not exactly 
the same, A. I:. Davidson thus writes: "The seer was an isolated per- 
Bonage like the greal prophets. But, further, the characteristic of the 
true 'prophet' was that he pursued national religious ends. Samuel 



THE MEANING OF TERMS. 19 

occurs also in Ex. 7:1; Gen. 20:7; Num. 11:29; 12:6, as if it 
had been in use long before Samuel's time; and it may be true 
that for a brief period in the time of the Judges the word ' ' seer ' ' 
was usually substituted for prophet, while prophet was the cus- 
tomary term both before and after that time. A prophet was 
called a seer, because in receiving his message he often saw 
visions, and always saw, in mind, the truth to be revealed or 
the forthcoming event to be announced. 

Some other terms for prophet, generally de- 
erms. ser iptive and sometimes figurative, were used by 
Old Testament writers. For example, "man of God" (I Sam. 
2:27), "man of the Spirit" (Hos. 9:7), "Lord's messenger" 
(Hag. 1:13), "watchman" (Jer. 6:17; Ezek. 3:17), and other 
terms of like character jire found. In some measure these titles 
are expressive of the official relations of a prophet to God and 
to his people. 

The title prophetess is given to Miriam (Ex. 
15:20), who, so far as we know, was merely a religious poetess; 
to Deborah (Jud. 4:4), who may have possessed prophetic 
gifts; to Huldah (II Chr. 34:22, ff.), who was certainly a true 
prophetess: also to Isaiah's wife (Isa. 8:3), but this was prob- 
ably only because her husband was a prophet. 

did this with more splendid initiative than the greatest of his successors. 
He created the nation by giving it a king; they only sought to preserve 
it. But the seers of his day, if there was such a class, may have min- 
istered rather to personal and private interests, as Samuel himself seems 
to have done on some occasions (1 Sam. ix). In 1 Sam. 3:1 it is said 
thai 'vision' when Samuel was young 'was not widely diffused;' but 
'vision' is here used of true prophecy such as the author was familiar 
with in his own time. History leaves us in complete ignorance in re- 
yard to the seers. In fact, the only seer we know of is Samuel, and his 
history is told us in a very fragmentary way." Hastings Bible Dic- 
tionary, Vol. iv. p. 108. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE MANNER OF DIVINE COMMUNICATION. 

•1. By Dreams. 

Dreams were sometimes given to the prophet, 

Given Through j whom they were communicated with their 
Prophets. . J • * 

interpretation to those for whom they were sent. 

An example of this is seen in Joseph's dream (Gen. 37:5-11). 
which he told to his parents and brothers. Likewise a dream 
was given to Solomon (1 Ki. 3:5), in which he was permitted 
to choose a divine .blessing. That this was a familiar method of 
receiving revelations among the Hebrews, is assured in Num. 
12 :6, in which Jehovah says, ' ' If there be a prophet among you, 
I, Jehovah, will make myself known unto him in a vision. I will 
speak with him as in a dream." The words of Elihu (Job. 33: 
14-16), bear a similar import when he says, "For God speaketh 
once, yea twice, though man regardeth it not. In a dream, in 
a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in sluni- 
berings upon the bed; then he openeth the ears of men, and 
sealeth their instruction." The dream was very suitable to the 
divine purpose in giving a prophecy, since not only was the 
prophet removed from the distractions of the more active mo- 
ments of life, but also he was in position to receive a very deep 
impression. 

Many prophetic dreams were given directly 

Directly *° the persons for whom the messages were in- 

tended, and were interpreted by a prophet. 

Such were the <liv;iins of I'haraoh's servants (Gen. 40:5, ff.) 7 

which were interpreted by Joseph; that to Pharaoh (Gen. xli),. 



PROPHETIC DREAMS. 21 

in the interpretation of which. Joseph foretold the seven years 
of plenty and the seven years of famine; also that to Nebu- 
chadnezzar (Dan. ii), in which the king forgot the dream, and 
the prophet Daniel made known both the dream and the inter- 
pretation. 

An advantage in presenting the dream to the 
van ages. p erson f r whom the message was designed, ap- 
pears in the fact that a much deeper impression is thus made 
upon the mind than if the prophet had merely told a dream of 
his own. There was also a good reason for having a human in- 
terpreter. The power of interpretation would distinguish the 
prophet as an appointed medium of divine communication ; and 
this would mark him as able to deliver other messages from 
God, and make him a more valued counselor in matters- of reli- 
gion or state. 

The fact that prophecies were sometimes given 
CoSmo°n Dreams. in dreams is not intended to imply that all 
'dreams have prophetic or other very important 
significance.* The worthlessness of many dreams was as appar- 
ent to the Hebrews as to us; and this is clearly indicated in 
Ps. 73 :20 ; Isa. 29 :8 ; and Jer. 27 :9. 

The dream that had prophetic value was 
phetic Dreams. Probably much more impressive than other 
dreams, and doubtless the interpretation was 
often impressed clearly and unmistakably upon the prophet's 
mind. Otherwise he would be unable to distinguish the dream 
containing the message from those that were void of. import. 

*The ethical A'alue of common dreams is well spoken by Marcus 
Dods, Com. on Gen. xxxvii. "Dreams become significant when they are the 
concentrated essence of the main stream of the waking thoughts, and 
picturesquely exhibit the tendency of the character. * * * Our vanity, our 
pride, our malice, our impurity, our deceit, our every evil passion, has 
free play, and shows us its finished result, and in so vivid and true 
though caricatured a form that we are startled and withdrawn from our 
purpose. The evil thought that we have suffered to creep about our 
heart seems in our dreams to become a deed, and we wake in horror and 
thaui God we can yet refrain. Thus the poor woman, who in utter desti- 
tution was beginning to find her child a burden, dreamt she had drowned 
it, and woke in horror at the fancied sound of the plunge — woke to clasp 
her little one to her breast with the thrill of a grateful affection that 
ae\ er again gave way. ' ' 



22 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The true prophet seems never to have been in doubt when he 
received from God a revelation in this way. For example, 
Joseph had no hesitation about the dream when the Lord toid 
him to take the infant Jesus and his mother into Egypt; nor 
was he in doubt when lie in like manner was told to return. In 
some way thai we may not now fully describe, the dream carried 
its own attestation.* 

2. By Visions of the Eye* — Sense Visions. 

Objecl lessens were sometimes presented and 
Lessons interpreted. Abraham saw a smoking furnace 

and a flaming torch pass between the pieces of 
his sacrifice at night and heard at the same time the terms of 
his covenant with God in which the land of Canaan was prom- 
ised to him and his posterity (Gen. 15:17, 18). In like manner 
Peter on the house-top in Joppa had the vision of a sheet let 
down from heaven containing many species of animals of which 
he was to eat without making the usual .Jewish distinctions 
Ads 10:9-16). Such were also the visions of Zechariah (1:8, 
18: 2:1, etc.). Such visions, like dreams, were usually accom- 
panied by definite interpretations, although rarely they were left 
unexplained I Rev. 15 :5-8 ). 

Sometimes God made special, manifestations 
Theophanies. ()f h imseU by visions to the prophets. Thus, 
three men appeared at the door of Abraham's tent (Gen. 18:2), 
whom he afterwards learned represented Jehovah and his angels 
(Gen. 18:22; 1!':1 I. Iii this case God appears in human form. 
partakes of Abraham's hospitality, reveals His promises and 
converses as a man with a man. In a similar manner lie ap- 
peared 1" Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:6), in which He 
called Moses to the office of deliverer and law-giver of the lie- 
brew people, other like manifestations were thai to Moses I Ex. 
33:17-23), in which the glory of Jehovah passed before the 

Briggs holds thai while "t! ream plays an important part in the 

prophecy of the Bible, in guiding the- patriarchs of Israel and the human 
guardians of the Messiah," yel the dream is "simply a phase of 
prophecy-, a tesl is needed to determine whether there be prophecy in 
it or not. ' ' M'-s. Pr. p. 7. 



PROPHETIC VISIONS. 23 

prophet who was protected in a cleft of a rock; that to Isaiah 
(Isa. 6), in which Jehovah appeared sitting upon an exalted 
throne surrounded by seraphim while his glory filled the temple, 
and Isaiah was called to his prophetic labors ;■ that to Paul on his 
way to Damascus (Acts 26:16-18), when he was called to be an 
especial apostle to the Gentiles; also that to John (Rev. 1:13- 
18), in which Jesus manifested himself as the author of the 
messages about to be written to the seven churches in Asia. 
Such manifestations of God are called theophanies.* 

The value of theophanies may not be fully 
Theophanies. k u °wn ; but it is evident that they assisted 
greatly in assuring men of olden times, not only 
that God exists apart from men and from all the objects of 
nature, but that he is clothetf with glory and invested with 
power surpassing even human comprehension. While this was 
an aid to faith, it was a powerful motive to obedience and loy- 
alty. Through the testimony of those to whom theophanies. were 
given, all later generations have enjoyed a greater assurance of 
God's presence in the world and his_ personal interest in hu- 
manity. 

The Hebrews did not understand that in 
Understood. these theophanies they beheld the real person 
and full glory of Jehovah ; for God is represented 
as saying to Moses that "man shall not see me and live" (Ex. 
33:20); and the apostle John (I John 4:12) expressed the 
conviction of the apostolic age when he said that "no man 
hath beheld God at any time." From such statements it is 
Clear that theophanies were understood to be only manifesta- 
tions of a divine presence and power suited to human vision 
and understanding. It is in a sense somewhat distinct from 
this that Jesus represents himself as being a manifestation of 

"'We do nni find these theophanies in connection with every prophet, 
but only witli the greatesl prophets, the reformers of their age. It is 

possible that other prophets were also called by 11 phanies which they 

have nni described to us. Bu1 this is improbable. It was indeed un- 
necessary. Theophanies were to initiate religious movements and mark 
the st ayes of their development, but are not the constant feature of 
prophecy." Briggs, Mrs. Pr. p. 21. 



24 THE MESSIANIC .MESSAGE. 

God when he says to Philip, ''He that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father; how gayest thou, Shew us the Father?. Believest 
thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me .' the 
words lli.it I Bay unto you I speak not for myself; but the Father 
abiding in me doeth His works. Believe me that I am in [he 
Father, and the Father in me." In these words the Savior 
announces, not only his divinity, but his complete representa- 
tion of the Father's character and disposition toward men. He 
further indicates to Philip that the most important feature in 
a vision of the Father is not to see Him in person, but to have 
a view of the divine character and will. 



3. By Visions of the Mind — Mental Visions. 

The prophets frequently enjoyed v^ioi.s of 
Truth^ ° ^ ie truth which they -were to convey instead of 

visions of objects as hitherto describe! The 
prophecy of Isaiah is introduced by the words, "The vision of 
Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and 
Jerusalem-." and this is followed by Isaiah's messages to the 
people without a description of any vision by the eyes within 
the first five chapters. Likewise the prophecy of Obadiah be- 
gins with the words, "The vision of Obadiah;" and yet the 
prophecy does not mention a vision by the eyes, but simply 
announces the truth which the prophet had seen by divine help. 

If we inquire by which person of the Trinity 
theTsmrit such visions were given, the answer is furnished 

by the apostle Peter (2 Pet. 1:21) : "But men 
spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit." That mental 
visions were given by the Holy Spirit seems to be amply eon- 
firmed in both the Old and the New Testaments. Samuel told 
Saul that the Spirit of Jehovah would come mightily upon him, 
and In- should prophesy; and later the historian informs us 
that the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he pro- 
phesied '1 Sam. 10:6,10). Still later the record says that the 
"Spiiii of God came upon the messengers .of Saul, and they 
also prophesied " (1 Sam. 19 -."10). 



PROPHETIC VISIONS. 25 

Jesus foretold the prophetic work of the apos- 
"Examples tles in hu 12:12 . << The Ho i v Spirit shall 

teach yon in that very hour what ye ought to 
say." From this it is clear that the apostolic messages came by 
the Holy Spirit, just as those of the older prophets. This ac- 
cords "with the preparation of the apostle John for his prophetic 
'work on the Island of Patmos, concerning which he says, "I 
was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a 
great voice." It was one of the especial functions of the Spirit 
to make known divine, messages to the prophets and the apostles. 

Since some of the prophets are described to 
state* 10 us as ^ e ^ n §' i n an ecstatic state when they re- 

ceived their visions, it might be thought- that 
•such a state was essential to their reception of revealed truth.* 
It is certainly true that the prophets were usually in such a con- 
■dition when they received sense visions ; as in the case of Balaam, 
who speaks of himself as, "the man whose eye was closed . . , 
who seeth the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having 
his eyes opened." Here the falling and the .closing and opening 
of the eyes in connection with his vision of Israel, seem to indi- 
cate an unnatural state of mind. On one occasion (2 Kings 3 : 
15), Elisha called for a minstrel, and when the minstrel played 
the hand of Jehovah came upon the prophet, which seems also 
to point to the need of a peculiar state to prepare the prophet 
for his message. In this instance, however, the minstrel may 
have been employed to allay the mind of the prophet which had 
been deeply disturbed by the presence of the idolatrous Icing of 
Israel, and thus put him in a better mood for his prophetic 
Work. In Acts 10:9-11, Peter is said to have been entranced 
when lie saw the vision of the sheet let down from heaven. We 
thus have evidence that the prophets were often in an unnat- 
ural slate <»f mind when object lessons or sense visions were 
presented. Proofs are abundant that such a state of mind Avas 

I'm- full discussion and diversity of views on the ecstatic state, 
see Riehm, Messianic Prophecies, p. 20 ff. The main question in dispute 
is whether or not the ecstatic state was necessary to receive a divine 
message. The truth appears to lie that ecstasy was not essential to all 
prophecy, bu1 had a place in the less exalted forms of prophecy. 



26 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

not necessary to the reception of truth by inspiration, nor to a 
fcheophany. Cf. Luke 12:11,12; Gen. 18:l,ff. 

It might be thought that if the prophets wore 
of *Prophets sometimes in an ecstatic state, they may not al- 
ways have been sane; and this suggestion has 
found si me confirmation in the case of Saul when he was forced 
to prophesy, and acted in a manner most unbecoming a sound 
mind (1 Sam. 19:23, 24). No doubt, in this case, Saul was mad; 
however his madness was not a condition necessary to his 
prophesying, but it was a punishment for his wicked pursuit 
of David. His prophesying merely gave evidence that the pun- 
ishment was inflicted by Jehovah. Saul was not performing 
the regular functions of a prophet: and his madness does not 
imply that such a condition accompanied the regular work of 
prophets. In Jer. 2!>:26. certain false prophets, referring to 
Jeremiah, spoke of "'every man that is mad, and maketh him- 
self a prophet," implying that Jeremiah was an insane prophet. 
This passage has sometimes been employed to show that Hebrew 
prophets may have uttered their messages when in a state of in- 
sanity. This is certainly a misinterpretation; for the false 
prophets, being angry with Jeremiah, were only slandering him 
to the high priest. There is no known instance of any Hebrew 
prophel performing the proper functions of his office in a state 
of insanity. Such ravings ;is those of the Mohameton der- 
vishes or the American Indians received no encouragement 
from Hebrew teachers.* Indeed, the ravings of the prophets 
of Baal (I Kings 18:26-28) were severely ridiculed by the 
prophet Elijah as strictly a heathenish practice. The utter- 
ances of the line prophets were often poetical and highly fig- 
urative, but always sane and sensible. 

■•■ represented as chirping and muttering in the 
practice of their art, I Ki. 18:26. It was the sacred dance, the fren- 
zied, ecstatic whirling. The Shamans of Eastern Asia use a tambourine 
and stimulants until they casl themselves into an unconscious state, and 
then an ■ •■ questions which are put to them. TheiT 

answers are often surprisingly accurate, although they know nothing 
thai has transpired when they awake into consciousness again. The 
Grecian prophetesses were filled with the prophetic ecstasy by the foul 
erases arising from clefts in the rucks. There the Grecian oracles were 
established and temples erected as at Delphi, Dodona ami e'sewhere. At 



PROPHETIC INSPIRATION. 27 

4. By Simple Inspiration. 

The prophets frequently received messages 
xamp es. ^ ^ e gpj r ^ £ q 0( j w ithout the use of dreams 

or visions. For example, 2 Chron. 15:1,2, "the Spirit of God 
came upon Azariah, and he went out to meet Asa, and said 
unto him," etc. Similar expressions occur often in the Old 
Testament, and indicate that the message of the Spirit indited 
in the heart of the prophet was immediately delivered, and re- 
quired no vision to make the truth apparent. This is made 
more clear by the words of Micah (3:8), "I am full of power 
by the Spirit of Jehovah, and of judgment, and of might, to 
declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin." 
Here the Spirit directly empowered the prophet to judge and 
to declare his message. In such cases the prophets were so 
completely under the influence of the Spirit that they were 
often said to be "in the Spirit" (Matt. 22:43), or filled Avith 
the Holy Spirit (Lu. 1:67). A notable instance is that of the 
apostles on Pentecost (Acts 2:4), when "they were all filled 
with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, 
as the Spirit gave them utterance." The gift of messages by 
inspiration was much more usual than dreams or visions; and 
indeed the latter were employed mainly to produce a deep im- 
pression or conviction upon the mind of the prophet. 

Inspiration, in the sense of mental afflatus, 

Inspiration ]mi - v ^ e re g ar d e d. as natural or supernatural; 

but since this division relates to its source 

rather than its nature, the word "kinds," though often used, is 

inappropriate. Likewise so-called "degrees of inspiration" do 

Hi" present day the Dervishes of Mahometans cast themselves into the 
ecstatic state by whirling themselves in a circle or by howling for a 
long time. The [ndian Fakirs cut themselves with knives as did the 
ancient prophets of Baal. There are also in the unconscious sonamlm- 
lism and the gifl of second sight kindred phenomena. In these ecstatic 
conditions involving unconsciousness to tin' external world the inner 
emotional and intellectual nature moves with great rapidity and free- 
dom, and. ::s in the dream, reaches solutions of difficult problems ami 
discerns the issues of events far ami near. As in the dream so in the 
e state, there may lie instinctive prediction ami instinctive guid- 
ance through difficulties; or there ma',- he entire failure." Briggs, 
Mes. Pr. pp. s, 9. 



28 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

not mark useful distinctions; for the natural inspiration, as 
observed in the orator or poet, might be more intense than the 
supernatural. Moreover, we may not even note any psycho- 
logical difference between the two, since in either case there is 
simply an unusual zest and productive activity of the mind. 
In the natural inspiration the products are the fruitage of the 
unaided human intellect, while in the supernatural the divine 
mind imparls to the human mind, that is, enables it to think, 
ideas that it did not before possess. By such conferred ideas 
a new revelation may come to men. or a new impulse or re- 
straint may be awakened in the prophet. Clearly the writers 
of the old Testament assume such a supernatural inspiration, 
and the student of prophecy is chiefly concerned with the phe- 
nomena which these writers present. The question whether 
such supernatural inspiration ever existed, belongs to the stu- 
dent of apologetics: but the rich unity of the whole system of 
Old Testament prophecy and its vital connections with Chris- 
tianity are here taken as overwhelming evidence of divine 
guidance in the prophet.* 

Properly speaking, inspiration did not affect 
the senses of the prophet. He saw and heard 
all things just as others and experienced no feelings different 
from his fellowmen, except that he had a profound conscious- 
ness that God had given him a truth, and wished him to declare 
it. This feeling is clearly expressed by Jeremiah (20:9^, "And 
if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more 
in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire 
shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and T 
cannot contain." This can be justly understood to mean only 
that when the prophet knew it to be his duty to warn his coun- 

*"The conclusive vindication of the prophets as true messengers of 
God is that their work forms an integral part in the progress of spiritual 
religion. * A less complete but yet most powerful vindication of the 

spiritual prophets was furnished by the coarse and event of Israel's his- 
tory. Alter the captivity it was no I. moor a question that the prophetic 
conception of Jehovah was the only possible one Thenceforth the re- 
ligion of Jehovah and the religion of the prophets are synonymous; no 
other reading of Israel's past was possible, and in fact the whole history 
of the Hebrews in Canaan, as it was finally shaped in the exile, is writ- 
ten from this point of view." \V. R. Smith, Enc. Brit., Art. Prophets. 



PROPHETIC INSPIRATION. 29 

trymen, lie could not conscientiously neglect his task; otherwise 
he was as miserable as if fire were shut up in his bones. A 
similar experience is expressed by Amos (3:8), "The lion hath 
roared; who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken; 
who can but prophesy 1 " It is apparent that the feeling of re- 
sponsibility was affected in these cases, but the natural exercise 
of the senses was not disturbed. 

The foregoing remarks imply also that the 
notPassive prophet was not passive when inspired. This 
is confirmed by other considerations: (1) 
The individual style of the prophetic writers appears in all 
their books; for each work has its own peculiar characteristics 
of thought and expression.* (2) The prophets as the preach- 
ers and political advisers of their time, often did not need to 
be passively governed by the Spirit, but could regularly per- 
form the greater part of their work by their own power after 
the essential message or policy had been revealed to them. (3) 
Sometimes the prophets copied their materials from other 
prophets, historians or state records; and hence did not need 
to be passive- under divine influence. Perhaps the nearest ap- 
proach to passivity is found in those instances in which the in- 
spired persons spoke in languages wholly unknown to them- 
selves; for in such tasks they were altogether unable by the ex- 
ercise of their own powers to accomplish anything but the mere 
use of their voices. 
Message We are not to assume that the prophets 

Limited. when endowed with the Holy Spirit were pos- 

sessors of all knowledge. The apostle Peter, who certainly 
had experienced a full measure of this gift refers to the ignor- 
ance of the prophets, and affirms that they "sought and 
searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should 
come unto you, searching what time, or what manner of time 

*As Canon Farrar urges that inspiration is not, ' ' to quote the favorite 
metaphor of Montanus, the playing of the Spirit upon the harp of man's 
being as upon a passive instrument. It is the inmost harmony of the 
spirit of man with the Spirit of God within the sphere of human limita- 
tions. ' ' God uses men as men are, weak, imperfect, often mentally or 
ethically indisposed, and thereby disqualified for the perfect transmis- 
sion of divine ideas. Just as no metal permits an electric current to 



30 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it. 
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories 
that should follow them." He declares that even the angels 
desire to look into those things (1 Peter 1:10-12). There is 
every reason to believe that the prophets usually received just 
one message at a time, and that the one which was most im- 
peratively needed at the moment. God did not give to them 
more than was necessary to secure the immediate divine pur- 
pose. They knew in part, and they prophesied in part (1 Cor. 
13:9). This explains the silence of inspired men on all the 
wonderful truths of history and science not immediately con- 
nected with their office as religious teachers. 
Relation to ^n * ne °ther hand, it is impossible to be- 

Signs of lieve that the prophets derived their teachings 

Time s- merely and only from the signs of the times in 

which they lived. Many of their utterances relate to events 
that must have been beyond their natural horizon.* Jeremiah 
could not have predicted the length of the Babylonian Exile 
(29:10) by mere natural foresight. He might have naturally 
anticipated the Babylonian conquest and the exilic distress: 
but he could not foresee by any indications of the times that 
the exile would have a definite limit, and much less could he 
thus foreknow its time. Numerous prophecies find their high- 
est and their only fulfilment in the Messianic kingdom, con- 
cerning which the signs of the times could furnish at best but a 
feeble suggestion. Here again the apostle Peter, who must 
have b<-en an earnest student of prophecy, declares what is 
evident throughout the whole period of prophetic activity in 

pass through it absolutely unhindered, so no prophet was capable of be- 
coming ;i perfeel medium of divine communication. This does not mean 
that the prophet was unreliable, but thai God must work with him as 
with us, according to the material with which He deals. It is certain 
thai (in- work of God could not rise to so great an excellence when Saul 
prophesied as when [saiah spoke. 

*On this point Orelli says, "Hoffmann, indeed, goes too far in mak- 
ing the prophecy so dependent on the history, that the former is merely 
the interpreter of the latter- i. e., puis into words the knowledge which 
ought at any time to be gathered from God's historical revelation. On 
the contrary, prophecy, issuing freely from the divine Spirit, is often 
far in advance of history, announcing really new things. But the out- 



PROPHETIC INSPIRATION. 31 

the Old Testament, that "no prophecy ever came by the will 
of man : but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy 
Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). 

Various classes of inspiration on the basis of 
Inspiration ^ ne ex t en t of its influence are recognized by 
scholars, but the varieties are not altogether 
distinct from each other. (1) Mechanical inspiration 
is that in which every word is dictated to the prophet by the 
Holy Spirit. To this extent inspiration must have very 
rarely influenced men, possibly only when inspired persons 
spoke in an unknown tongue. (2) Plenary inspiration is a 
full inspiration, in which the thought, the logic, and even the 
general character of the language are given by the Spirit. 
These . may have been given sometimes to the prophets, but 
there are good reasons for believing that the greater portion of 
the Bible was composed without so great fulness of spiritual 
influence. (3) Verbal inspiration is that which relates to the 
words of the prophet. Formerly the words were used to express 
the idea of dictation of the words by the Spirit; but most 
scholars have more recently explained the meaning of verbal 
by reference to 1 Cor. 2:13, "Which things also we speak, not 
in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit 
teacheth." In this passage "words" (Greek logoi) must not 
be interpreted to mean the vocables of which the inspired sen- 
tences were composed; but, as the Greek term was always used, 
to mean the conceptions, the form of thought, or the ideas. "We 
must not understand therefore that the Holy Spirit taught the 
apostles the very language of their utterances, but that it 
taught them the truths and the conceptions of truth which the 
apostles were to a great extent free to express in terms of their 
own choice. (4) Superintendent inspiration is that which 
merely guards the prophet from error in his teaching. This 

ward experiences of Israel negatively prepared the ground for prophecy, 
and positively furnished it with material." After showing that histori- 
cal events opened the way for larger prophetic visions, lie adds, "Under 
tin' .i"iiii operation of all these motives the prophetic voices spoke now 
Louder, now softer— bow more clearly, now more obscurely. But their 
discourses were ao1 the work of the spirit of the age, but of the one 
s r iiii pf God." .Mrs. Proph. pp. 34, 35. 



32 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

seems to be promised to the apostles by the Savior in John- 
16:13, "Howbeit when he. the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall 
guide you into all the truth." Since "guide you into all the- 
truth" cannot reasonably mean to reveal all the truth, much of 
which was already revealed by the Master, it would seem to 
mean that the apostles were to be protected by the Spirit from 
serious error. It is possible that the Spirit exercised this pro- 
tective influence over much of the work of those men who pre- 
pared the Holy Scriptures. (5) Elevating inspiration is that 
which enabled the prophet to recall truth which he may have 
formerly received and to speak or write with more than or- 
dinary power, or with a very exalted style. Jesus promised 
that the Spirit should teach the disciples all things, and bring 
to their remembrance all that he had said to them (John 14 : 
26). It is notable that much of the Bible possesses a peculiar 
and almost superhuman power over the mind of the reader, 
and that it has a style remarkable in the literature of the- 
world for its combined dignity and simplicity. (6) Sug- 
gestive inspiration is that which gives new truth, but leaves 
the mind of the prophet entirely free and his expression al- 
together voluntary. Doubtless 'the greater part of the proph- 
etic work by the Hebrew seers was performed under influence 
of this character. Inspiration probably did not extend beyond 
Avhat was just necessary to accomplish the divine purpose; and 
usually a competent prophet was abundantly able in his own 
way to deliver his message effectively after it had once been 
clearly impressed by the divine Spirit upon his own mind. 

5. B\s Urim and Thummim. 

The Still another method of securing the divine 

stones. w i]i W as by the use of certain stones called 

[Mm and Thummim which were put into the breastplate 
of the high priest and worn by him when he entered into the 
presence of Jehovah. The words mean "Lights and Perfec- 
tions." Tiny may have been the twelve stones worn by the 
high priest in the sacred breast-plate which bore the names of 
the twelve tribes before Jehovah (Ex. 39 :8-14) ; or they may 



URIM AND THUMMIM. 33 

possibly have been other stones likewise held by the high priest. 
They are rarely mentioned, and seem to have been used mainly, 
if not wholly, to secure the counsel of God. 
Manner The manner in which the divine message was 

of Use - received by the use of these stones is a subject 

of conjecture. The following methods have been suggested: 
(1) The priest may have asked of Jehovah a question which 
could be answered by yes or no, and read the answer by the 
lustre of the stones. (2) It may be that the stones when> 
brought into the presence of God merely guaranteed to the J 
high priest a hearing, while the answer was given by Jehovah- 
in spoken words. (3) It is possible that the priest read the 
answer from the appearance of letters on the stones, by which 
God spelled out his response. (4) Another possibility is that 
the stones were used to cast lots, so as to determine between 
an affirmative and a negative answer. In the absence of evi- 
dence, it is difficult to choose among these suggestions. The 
presence of the ark of the covenant which was in the tabernacle 
where the high priests usually consulted Jehovah, was not nec- 
essary to secure a hearing; but it would seem that the priest's 
ephod on which the breast-plate belonged was deemed essential 
to such a consultation. Cf. 1 Sam. 23:9-11; 30:7,8. 

6. By' Casting Lots. 

The Hebrew prophets sometimes obtained a 
The Methcd. ,|ivine decision by casting lots before the Lord 
with the understanding that God directed the lot so as to ex- 
press His will; hence the proverb (Prov. 16:33) : "The lot is 
cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of Je- 
hovah." Undoubtedly the prophet was compelled to submit 
alternatives to the Lord, and let the lot show which of the al- 
ternatives was divinely chosen. An example of this appears 
in the choice of an apostle to succeed Judas; in which case two 
persons were selected and the lot was cast to choose between 
the two (Acts 1:23-26). Often a greater number of alter- 
natives must have been presented, as in the division of the land 
of Canaan among the tribes and families of Israel (Num. 26: 



34 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

55 . or in the selection of Saul out of all Israel to be king 
l 1 Sam. 10:20-24). 

It is evident that the lot must not be relied 
inn a ions. U p 0n to consult divine wisdom by all persons 
and under all circumstances. God must necessarily hold His 
omniscience beyond all access of men engaged in the ordinary 
and trivial affairs of life. Accordingly there most have been 
some well understood restrictions upon the use of the lot. al- 
though these restrictions have not been recorded in the Bible. It 
is probable that the lot was often used in common matters without 
an assumption that it gave a divine decision. Apparently 
among- the Hebrews, as among' later people, the casting of lots was 
used to adjust difficult questions by a mere appeal to chance; 
hence the proverb (Prov. 18:18): "The lot causeth conten- 
tions to cease, and parteth between the mighty." 



CHAPTER III. 

THE FALSE PROPHETS. 

1. Source of Their Prophecy. 

The presence of false prophecy might reason- 
ably be expected as an imitation of the true. 
The fact that many pretenders appeared not only among the 
. Hebrews, but also in almost all nations, is no proof that all 
prophets were false. In this case, as in many others, the coun- 
terfeit only proves the genuine. Indeed, the very success of 
the true prophet provoked imitation by persons of unworthy 
character; and the fame of the true prophet made the field of 
prophetic activity the more attractive to false men. Besides 
this, the natural desire of humanity to probe the mysteries of 
life produced a great demand for prophetic work; and on this 
account such an office was often very lucrative (cf. Acts 
16:16). 
Sources The true prophets well knew the character 

of Materials. anc [ methods of those who by false prophecy 
were attempting to thwart the work of Jehovah in Israel. They 
did not hesitate to expose the false prophets, and have left to 
us their full explanation of those deceptions. They mention 
the following sources of the material used by the false prophets: 
(1) They often uttered what Jeremiah calls "a lying vision" 
(Jer. 14:14). By this he means that the false prophets re- 
ported visions which they had never seen, so that their utter- 
ances were pure fabrications. (2) The same writer ascribes 
other work of the false prophets to divination. By this he 
means the use of various occurrences as signs of forthcoming 



36 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

events. We are aware that the Greeks and Romans consulted 
the flights of birds, the trails of serpents, and the appear- 
ance of the viscera of slain animals. Joseph in Egypt pre- 
tended to his brothers that he "divined" by means of his drink- 
ing cup which was put into Benjamin's sack of grain (Gen. 
44:5), just as cups are used in our own day in telling fortunes. 
Everywhere in the Old Testament divination of this sort is 
discredited or positively condemned. (3) Some of the false 
prophecies are described as "visions of their own heart" (Jer 
23:16). The charge here is that the false prophets consulted 
merely their own imagination in preparing their messages, and 
hence that they well knew their vanity and falsehood.* (4) 
Other utterances were stolen from the true prophets (Jer. 
23:30). For example, if Isaiah at the time of Sennacherib's 
invasion had truly predicted that Jerusalem should not fall, a 
false prophet a hundred years later when Jeremiah was pre- 
dicting the immediate overthrow of the city might steal Isaiah's 
prediction and falsely apply it when the circumstances were 
wholly different. What was true of the city's safety at one 
time might not be true a hundred years later. 
2. Test of Their Prophecies. 

Need Since false prophets must have been numer- 

of Tests. ous in Israel, and the work, of the true 

prophets must not be thwarted by that of the pretenders, some 
convenient and reliable tests were required to distinguish be- 
tween the true and the false. Doubtless indications of gen- 
uineness and of deception may have appeared in the character 
and the demeanor of the prophets; but as these were liable to 
very careful imitation, they were not entirely reliable. 

()ii the prophetic conscience, see Eielnn, Ales. Proph., p. 16 ff. On 
tin- value of the conscience in the true prophet over the sense of deceit 
in the false prophets; lie says, "The consciousness that they received a 
definite commission from Jehovah exercises upon the prophets them- 
Belves a force so overmastering that all their own inner resistance to 
it cannot be reckoned of account (cp. Amos 3:8 ami esp. Jer. 20:7-9). 
'Mi the other band, just here lies the power which enables them to face 
every danger with indomitable courage, and to fulfil their commission 
even when all the forces of king, princes, people, priests, and a whole 
paei of false prophets are arrayed againsl then! (cp. Jer. 1:17 ff.r 

20: Id IT)." 



TESTS OF PROPHECY. 37 

Two Tests, Two tests are definitely described in the Old 

Testament: (1) Disloyalty to Jehovah was to be considered 
a clear proof of fraud in a prophet. Accordingly, in Deut. 
13 :l-3, the people were warned that if a prophet arose in their 
midst urging them to go after other gods and serve them, such 
a prophet was to be put to death for having spoken rebellion 
against Jehovah. (2) The other test of false prophecy was 
its non-fulfilment. This test is given in Deut. 18:22, "When 
a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow 
not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not 
spoken ; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously. ' ' On the 
other hand, Jeremiah (28:9) said, "When the word of the 
prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, 
that Jehovah hath truly sent him. ' ' 

When we remember that not all of the pre- 

Predictions 1 . dictions of the true prophets were fulfilled, as 
in the case of Jonah's prophecy of the fall of 
Nineveh, it is interesting to inquire how non-fulfilment can be 
a reliable test. The reason the true prophecies did not always 
come to pass is that many of them were conditional, and the 
conditions were not fulfilled by the people. It is true that 
sometimes these conditions were not expressed along with the 
predictions, but they were in many cases well understood both 
by the prophet and his hearers.* This was true of the prophecy 
of Jonah. It was generally true of predictions uttered as 
warnings against sin, or as rewards for righteousness. When 
false prophets uttered unconditional predictions, as their pre- 
sumptioi] would usually lead them to do, the non-fulfilment 
was a decisive test. Some of the prophecies presented ideals 
which were above human realization ; and such utterances needed 
no test, since they are evermore the goal of an advancing race. 

This feature of Hebrew prophecy was clearly discerned by Canon 
Farrar: "Nothing is more clear than the fact, that in most instances 
the prophets themselves, even when they make no verbal reservation, did 
not regard their denunciations as absolute, but as conditional; not as 
exceptionless, but as partial; not as supernaturally predictive, but as 
the illustration of eternal jiriiicip'es which God had especially brought 
home to them. 1'lieir menace always implied an 'unless.' " 



CHAPTER IV. 

PERIODS OF PROPHETIC ACTIVITY. - 

Prophecy presents no exeception to the gen- 

of C< Activitv era ^ rule °^ P ei 'i° c ^ c activity and repose in the 
literary history of nations. Among the He- 
brews there were certain seasons of prophetic work, and other 
seasons of protracted rest. The activity of the prophets in 
great measure depended upon the following condition of the na- 
tion : (1) When the immorality of the people became great, a 
corresponding effort was required by the prophets to counteract 
lb'' evil. This is clearly illustrated in the work of Noah, Elijah, 
and many others. (2) The prevalence of idolatry, which was 
most radically obstructive of the divine work with Israel, re- 
quired the Tiost vigorous action on the part of the prophets 
The work of Isaiah, Ilesea. Amos, and others will be readily re- 
called in this connection. (3) Israel's need of political guid- 
ance often required the help of God through the prophet, and 
thus induce. 1 ;t series of prophetic labors. Moses, Samuel and 
Isaiah are conspicuous examples of prophets who gave the 
greater part of their Labors to the direction of political affairs 
among their people; and periods in which these men lived are 
notable for their prophetic productions. (4) In some in- 
stances t!ie work of prophets was needed t i prepare the nation 
for greal blessings that were just at hand. While Moses was a 
law-giver, much of his effort was devoted to the preparation of 
Canaan. Likewise the work of -John the Baptist was almost 
wholly given to the task of making the Jewish people ready for 
the coming of the Messiah.* 

*Briggs refers to the roll-call of prophtes in Hebrews xi, and esteems 



PERIODS OF PROPHETIC ACTIVITY. 39 

The work of the prophets was not precisely 
Characteristics. ^ game ftt &n timeg ^ ftnd any proper division 

of their labors into periods must recognize the characteristics 
that appeared prominent at different times. With this in view, 
we may mention four periods of prophetic work within the 
range of the Old and New Testament history. 

1. The Early Old Testament Period — Adam to Samuel. 

In this first period we may notice that the prophets were 
rare, and were usually independent of each other. Their pre- 
dictions are brief and scattered as if we might have only a few 
remaining fragments of all that they uttered. Their prophetic 
duties did not comprise the main business of their lives, but 
were added casually to their other and more usual occupations. 
Such were the prophetic labors of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Deb- 
orah and others. 

2. The Medieval Old Testament Period — Samuel to Amos. 
This period was marked by the following characteristics : 

(1) The prophets were numerous and often united in schools. 
In Samuel's day the prophets were assembled in groups when 
Saul met them and prophesied among them (1 Sam. 10:10, 11). 
When Elijah was making his last tour with his friend Elisha, 
they met with the "sons of the prophets" at Bethel and at 
Jericho; and after the removal of Elijah, as many as fifty of 
the ''sons of the prophets" went forth to seek the body of their 
master (2 Ki. 2:3, 5, 16). It would seem from 2 Kings 4:38 
that the prophets dwelt in companies; for they sought their food 
together, and a large number partook of the same pottage. In 
the days of Ahab when the prophets of Jehovah were threatened 
with destruction, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in caves 
(1 Kings 18:4). In like manner the prophets of Baal were so 
numerous that Elijah knew of four hundred and fifty of them 
(1 Kings 18:22). (2) The prophets became counselors of the 
kings, but only in an irregular way. Samuel advised Saul 
throughout the earlier part of his reign (1 Sam. 13:13,14). 

them the greatest of heroes. "No such names are to be found in the 
history of any other nation, — or in the history of all the other religions 
combined, — heroes of battles the most sublime the world has ever seen; 
battles not for the reigion of Israel alone, but for the religious progress 
of humanity for the everlasting religion of mankind." 



40 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Nathan and others gave advices and reproofs to David, as in 
2 Samuel 12:1-15. Elijah reproved Ahab repeatedly (1 Ki. 

17:1: 18:17:19:1). 

3 Some of the prophets were writers of psalms, pro- 
verbs and history. Doubtless many of their writings, like those 
of Samuel, Nathan. Ahijah, Iddo and Gad (1 Chroh. 29:29; 
2 Chron. 9:29) have not been preserved: but undoubtedly some 
of the compositions of David and Solomon, possibly the writ- 
ings of several others, form parts of our present Old Testament. 

A. The Later Old Testament Period. 

This period differs from the preceding one in several points. 
(1) The prophets were less numerous and much more in- 
dependent of each other. Amos, Isaiah, Hosea, Nahum and 
many others seem to have had a few companions if any at all. 
Even contemporary prophets do not seem in all cases to have 
been associated with each other. Each had his own field to 
which his prophetic labors were mainly confined. (2) In this 
period a high literary ability was developed in psalms, history 
and prediction. The prophetic writings of this time present 
some <>f the most worthy specimens of exalted literature to be 
found in any Language. (3) Many of the loftiest Messianic con- 
ceptions of the old Testament were produced at this time.. (1) 
'Idle prophets were in some cases regular counselors at the courts 
of their kings. Of this class of prophetic advisers Isaiah and 
Jeremiah are conspicuous examples. Altogether this was by 
far the most notable period of all Hebrew prophecy. 

4. The New Testament period. 

The conditions of pi-ophetic teachers in this period were 
very different from those that obtained at any time in forme? 
generations. The Messiah which had formed the far away but 
central figure of the older prophetic vision # had now become a 
reality. The exalted spiritual kingdom toward which the old 
prophets wi'i^ constantly looking forward had now become a 
Living force among the Hebrews, and was rapidly extending 
among the nations of the world. The prophets are now transform- 
ed into apostles and teachers in the church. While their labors 
are often in fields far removed from each other, and their work 
assumes considerable independence, nevertheless they are bound 



PERIODS OF PROPHETIC ACTIVITY. 41 

together by cords of fellowship such as the older prophets rarely 
realized. Since this was a period of fulfilment, it was not re- 
markable in new and exalted prediction. The Messsianic theme 
of the older prophets has become a gospel theme with the newer 
ones;* and the new themes of prediction pertain mostly to the 
fall of Jerusalem, the destinies of the Church and the end of 
the world. 

*"The star of Messianic hope was kindled when man lost Paradise; 
it burned brightly in Moses; waxing and waning it once more shed un- 
wonted lustre over the aspirations of the Psalmists; in Isaiah it reached 
its fullest and most unclouded splendor; it shone less brightly in Ezekiel 
and his post-exilic successors; in the interspace between the two dis- 
pensations it waned into the blurred and twinkling glow if a vague 
national abstraction, until at last it hardly existed except in the breast 
of the Prophet of the Wilderness; and after becoming for ages little 
more than a formula among the Jews of the dispersion, it is now avow- 
edly set aside by many Eabbis as a metaphor or a delusion. It was 
reserved for Christian insight to see that the whole life of Israel is in 
some sense a Messianic prophecy; that their law was, as Tertullian says. 
gravida Christi; and that of Christ even when they knew it not, all the 
prophets spoke. 1 ' Farrar. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE NATURE OF PROPHETIC INSTRUCTION. 

1. Religious Instruction. 

Office of The Prophets were the preachers of their 

Prophets. day. It was their office to keep alive the fires 

of religious interest among their people, to guard the true faith 
from the intrusion of the idolatrous religions by which they 
were surrounded, and to protect the morals of Israel from the 
corruption which threatened on every side. To perform ef- 
fectively this work of religious and ethical admonition, var- 
ious methods were employed to secure the hearing and impress 
the hearts of their "people. Some of these methods deserve a 
brief notice. 
Direct (1) Like preachers and reformers in every 

Address. land and time, the prophets found it necessary 

eh their people by direct address. Moses is represented 
in Deuteronomy as delivering numerous addresses, partly of a 
prophetic character, and designed to accomplish homiletic ends. 
Samuel delivered bis messages to Saul by direct address, and in 
like manner lie gave his prophetic instruction to the people of 
[grael (1 Sam. xii. xv). Likewise much of the work of Isaiah, 
Jeremiah and other Later prophets consisted in sermons and 
other oral addresses delivered to the kings or to the masses of 
Hi,- people in public assemblies. ( !f. Isa. 1:10,18; 2:5; Jer. 
2:1,2; Ez. 33:1,2; lies. 4:1, et al. 
object (2) Fnv the purpose of making the message 

Lessons. V erv impressive and fixing it in the mem >ry, 

the prophel often used objeci lessons. When Elijah wished 
thoroughly to convict the Baa] prophets of Fraud and make the 



RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 43 

king of all Israel know that the idolatrous religion of Queen 
Jezebel was no other than a monstrous deception, he instituted 
a test for Baal and Jehovah by the erection of. altars with sac- 
rifices and by calling down fire from heaven in the presence of 
the king and multitudes of the people (1 Ki. 18 :36-38). "When 
Isaiah desired to impress deeply his prediction of the fall of 
Damascus and Samaria, he took a great tablet and wrote upon 
it the puzzling name Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which meant "haste, 
spoil, speed prey," and signified to all the Hebrews before 
whose eyes the tablet was erected that the spoil of Damascus 
and the prey of Samaria would be speedily carried away by the 
Assyrian army (Isa. 8:1-4). Jeremiah was commanded at one 
time to make bonds and bars, and put them upon his neck, and 
then send them to the kings of various nations contiguous to 
Palestine accompanied by the message that every one of these 
kings must place himself in bondage to Nebuchadnezzar or suf- 
fer punishment at the hand of Jehovah (Jer. 27:1-8). In like 
manner Hosea makes his unfaithful wife and his children rep- 
resent the people of Israel who were unfaithful to God and 
whose restoration to divine favor was the great task of the 
prophet (Hos. 3:1-5). These object lessons were generally em- 
ployed when the obstinacy of Israel rendered direct address in- 
effective. 

(3) The prophets also made free use of 
history to illustrate their religious instruction. 
They often made appeals to the former works of Jehovah with 
the children of Israel to prove His faithfulness and good will to- 
war;! them, Over and over the prophets reminded their hearers 
of the del i vera nee of Israel from Egyptian bondage, of the 
divine help in the conquest of Canaan, and of the punishments 
which Jehovah had inflicted when they were disobedient. In- 
deed, much of the Old Testament history was composed by the 
prophets, and designed to fulfil a prophetic purpose. Doubt- 
less I his accounts for the very notable fact that these records 
are too brief and fragmentary to he really called history. The 
accounts in Genesis relate but a lew scenes in the whole history 
from the creation of the world to the call of Abraham. Likewise, 
a i'^w brief accounts sum up the work of a Long line of Judges, 



44 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

or relate the deeds of the many kings of Judah and Israel. 
What is even more notable is the fact that these accounts do 
not possess natural proportions. While eleven chapters in 
Genesis are intended to cover a period of more than two thous- 
and years, the remaining thirty-nine chapters compass only the 
lives of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob. The account of Joseph 
alone covers fifteen chapters. From this disproportion it is 
clear that the author of Genesis did not attempt to prepare a 
real history of his people. On the other hand, all these accounts 
are designed to teach religious lessons, which was the very work 
of the prophets, and which stamps the greater part of what is 
usually called the historical portion of the Old Testament as 
prophetic literature. 

Moreover, the devout reader finds evidence 
History " tnat S!!me P arts °^ these accounts were super- 
natural ly aiven. It is difficult to believe that 
the record of Creation.* which most remarkably transcends the 
scientific and religious thought of the age, presents merely the 
dream of an ancient Israelite. It is also difficult to explain 
many other religious conditions and sentiments of the early 
Hebrews if we neglect or reject the theophanies to which the 
Leading religious movements of that people are directly ascribed. 
Thus some of the events were divinely brought to pass. It is 
absurd to assume that priests or prophets with merely human 
ingenuity devised that lengthy historical preparation of the 
Hebrew people for the Messianic age which culminated only in 
the work of John the Baptist and Jesus himself.** 

" Noted physicists like Ayassiz, Dana, Guyot, and others have openly 
declared thai the narrative oi' the Creation recorded many centuries ago 
what so far no man could know of himself, and what at the present time 
is only partly revealed by the study if geology. Hence the narrative 
of the Creation is not myth, but history." Kuyper, Work of Holy Spirit, 
p. 77, ling. Tr. This statement hardly represents a consensus of schol- 
arly opinion. It must lie conceded that the agreement between the ac- 
count in (Jenesis and the story as read in "the rocks is remarkable in 
general outlines; but as regards details, variations are numerous and not 
unimportant. We should remember that the Bible is not written to 

**" For the history of Israel culminates in .lesns Christ. This is true in 

the sense, not merely that he is the last and greatest figure of Israel's 

history, lint also that all the history was making toward him, preparing 



RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. 45 

(4) Some of the work of the prophets was 
prepared in poetic form. This is illustrated in 
the prediction of Noah (Gen. 9:25-27), the blessing bestowed by 
Isaac upon his son Jacob (Gen. 27:27-29), the predictions of 
Jacob concerning the twelve tribes (Gen. xlix), the Song of 
Moses (Deut. xxx), all of the prophetic psalms and many pas- 
sages in the prophetic books. The poetic form was probably 
given to the messages by the prophet at his leisure, usually after 
his address to the people, but in some cases the verses may have 
been prepared in advance, that they might be the more attrac- 
tive when uttered in public. In some examples the written 
poem betrays the older form in prose. 

The extent to which inspiration affected the 
Inspiration poetic form is not always traceable; but the fol- 
lowing considerations may be suggestive on this 
point : (1) The form was due in part to the zeal of the pro- 
phet, and this zeal was probably heightened at times by his 
inspiration. The great earnestness, passion and pathos' of 
some prophetic poems clearly manifest the zeal of their authors 
in a message that must have been given by inspiration. (2) 
The poetic form was due also in part to the prophet's purpose, 
and this may have been induced by the Holy Spirit. In Jer. 
36:3, the prophet is bidden to write his predictions in a book; 
and the .purpose of the writing is given him by the word of the 
Lord, that they "may return every man from his evil way, 
that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin." (3) The 
poetic form was often due to the nature of the message, which 
was indited by the Spirit. In almost all languages poets suit 
the metre of their verses to the character of the subject treated. 
It would be very inappropriate to use a long and heavy measure 
to convey a light and playful thought, or to employ a light 
and rippling verse to express sentiments of grief or melancholy. 
Accordingly, the nature of the message which the Spirit gives, 

teach geology or any other physical science, but religion; and exact scien- 
tific statements would only serve to divert the mind from this all im- 
portant theme. 

for him, revealing elements, ideas and forces which united and came to 
their fulness in him." G. S. Goodspeed, Israel's Mes. Hope, p. 2. 



46 ■ THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

will determine th<- kind of poetry which the prophet will com- 
pose. (4) The form of vers.- was due also partly to the talent 
of the writer: and while this might on some occasions be 
strengthened by the Spirit, it must have been usually the nat- 
ural possession of the prophet. The fact that each prophet 
manifests peculiarities of style throughout his writings is proof 
that in a large measure he exercised his own talents. Altogether 
it is probable that the artistical features of Biblical poetry. 
were almost wholly the private work of the prophet himself; 
while often the message and its purpose were the gifts of inspi- 
ration. 

2. Legal and Political Direction. 

Since the prophets were the divinely endowed 

Lawgit^rs leaders of the nation, they had much to do with 

the enactment of laws and the determination of 
administrative policies. The most notable lawgiver in Israel's 
history was Moses, who was also a prophet; and even in the dis- 
charge of his duties in the giving of the law he was acting a 
prophet's part. Along with the laws as found in our Hebrew 
records are interspersed numerous predictions, the very an- 
nouncement of which furnished the setting of the statutes. 
For example, in Ex. 23 :20-25, the law against idolatry and 
polytheism is introduced by the prediction that the angel of the 
Lord will go before the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites 
before them; and Israel is commanded not to adopt the gods of 
a rejected and defeated people. Likewise, in Deut. 18:9-22. the 
prediction of the conquest of Canaan is made the' occasion of 
a \^ry strict law against sorcery and divination as practiced 
by the nations who were about to be expelled from the land as 
an abomination to -Jehovah; and in compensation for the loss of 
diviners and augurers which Israel might feel, a prophet was 
to be raised up by the Lord who should be competent to guide 
the nation wisely, and to him they were required to give heed. 
Many of the prophets who were not lawgivers. 

Advisers were l >oliti( ' al advisers of the kings. David's 

reign was blessed by the counsel of Nathan, who 

favored the king with divine advice at the most critical times 



LEGAL AND POLITICAL DIRECTION. 47 

of his administration. Hezekiah would doubtless have sur- 
rendered Jerusalem to Sennacherib had it not been that Isaiah 
armed with the promise of God stood right at his hand resist- 
ing other counselors and predicting the speedy downfall of the 
enemy. 

A good reason may be assigned for this polit- 
ical effort; for the direction of the nation of Is- 
rael was a vital part of the divine plan. It was necessary to 
keep Israel separate from other nations, in order to protect the 
purity of her morals and her religion. But this political inde- 
pendence in the midst of great empires could not in the natural 
course of events be maintained; and it was necessary that the 
divine wisdom through a prophet should sometimes in a crisis 
intervene to restrain the unwise counsels of short-sighted princes 
and kings. In many cases, notably that of Jeremiah, the prophet 
thrust himself into the midst of a corrupt court, struggled hand 
to hand with unscrupulous politicians, and, as might be ex- 
pected, received the reproaches and calumnies of princes and 
populace. As divine preachers, however, they did not avoid 
political conflict when for lack of true principles of government 
the high destiny of the nation was imperiled. 

While other nations, and perhaps sometimes 
Other Nations. a l ar S' e P art °f Israel, regarded Jehovah as only 
a local divinity limited to one people and one 
country , the true prophets well understood the unlimited sweep 
of .Jehovah's power in the earth, and they often prophesied 
concerning the fortunes and fates of other kingdoms. From 
the time of the promise to Abraham that in his posterity should 
all the nations of the earth be blessed on through the labors of 
the leading prophets of the Old Testament, the value of Israel 
to the other nations is kept steadily before the minds of the 
people. It is on this account that the prophets gave numerous 
predictions concerning the nourishing and fall of the great 
contemporary world-powers. Jehovah was indeed the God of 
the Hebrews, but only that through them he might reach all the 
other peoples of the earth. 



/ 



48 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

3. Prediction. 

(1) The themes of prediction are of three 
classes: (a) Many of them relate to individ- 
ual men or their tribes. Such are the blessings of Jacob upon 
his sons (Gen. xlix), such is the prophecy of Samuel to Saul 
(1 Sam. 13:13, 14), such is also the notable prophecy of 
Nathan to David concerning the son that should sit upon his 
throne (2 Sam. 7:8-16), and that by the same prophet to the 
same king concerning the disasters that should fall upon the 
household of David on account of his sin (2 Sam. 12:10-14). (b) 
Many others relate to nations, whether Israel or those abroad. 
Such is the prophecy of Balaam (Num. 23:7-10; 24:20-24), 
and those of Isaiah concerning Babylon, Moab, Damascus, Egypt 
and others (Isa. xiii-xxiii). (c) But many clearly relate to 
the anticipated Messianic kingdom. Such is that concerning 
tbe Wonderful Counselor (Isa. 9:6,7), that concerning the 
Servant who was smitten of God (Isa. liii), and those concern- 
ing the kingdom which the God of heaven should set up (Dan. 2 : 
44.4."); 7:26.27). Within these three classes may be summed 
up the subjects of Hebrew prediction, however direct or sweep- 
ing, whether pertaining to events near at hand or those that 
gather into their embrace the fortune and destinies of peoples 
in the most distant future. 

(2) Relation to the times. 

(a) The predictions were usually connected 
Coding 1 intimately with a history; and the historical 

conditions often colored the expression of the 
prophecy, and furnished for it a setting which necessarily re- 
quires attention at the hands of a careful interpreter. What- 
ever may be the meaning of Gen. 3:15, it is certain that the 
occasion of the woman's temptation by the serpent is the es- 
sential background of the statement, "I will put enmity be- 
tweeL thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: 
he shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel." It is 
clear that the prophecy concerning the virgin's son in Isa. 7 -.10- 



RELATION TO THE TIMES. 49 

17 is inseparably connected with the political question, which 
was burning in the mind of Ahaz concerning an alliance to save 
Judah from an invasion by Syria and Samaria; for before the 
child should be old enough to choose between evil and good the 
two kings of those countries were to be overcome and their land 
laid desolate. This historical setting did not interfere with the 
great reach which a prediction might have, seeing that in many 
cases a promise of good, however distant, could be used by the 
prophet to encourage the people of his own day to greater ex- 
ertions to loyalty and righteousness. 

(b) The times often demanded a threat or 
Promises* 11 ' 1 P rom i s e which was embodied in the prophecy. 

When Amos found his country very corrupt 
he remonstrated with his people, pointing out their sins, re- 
peatedly threatening them with the calamities that must in- 
evitably attend their evil course; and then at the very close of 
his book he utters one promise of blessing intended to encourago 
the nation to reform. Isaiah mingles threats with promises de- 
signed to restrain violence and to cheer the upright in their 
despair (Isa. 1:15-31, et. al.). Likewise, Elijah at one time 
threatened Ahaz with a long continued drouth, and later 
promised him abundance of rain (1 Kings 17:1; 18:44). In 
all these cases and scores of others the conditions of the people 
when the prophecies were given demanded the very messages 
that were delivered; and hence the language of the predictions 
was adapted to the circumstances of the prophet. 

(c) Important prophecies were mostly given 
in the crises of the nation, and were intended to 

rescue the plan of God's dealing with His people from an im- 
pending disaster.* Such a crisis appeared at the time of the 

*The Hebrew prophets were wonderfully adapted to meet emergencies 
in Israel's history, to throw themselves into the breach, to rally fleeing 
forces, retrieve lost fortunes, and save the nation; and this was due 
to the optimism of divine purpose which they breathed as a breath from 
heaven. Thus Farrar: "A most precious characteristic of the mission 
of the prophets is the steady, inextinguishable spirit of hope which ani- 
mated them amid the direst catastrophes of their people, and which 
gleams out amid their stormiest predictions of retribution and woe. 
Even in abasement their horizon is always luminous with the certainty 
of victory." Minor Prophets, p. 13. 



50 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

deluge when the corruption of man threatened his complete 
destruction; and hence Noah, a prophet, was commissioned to 
preach righteousness, and succeeded in saving his own family, 
preserving the race. Another crisis arose in the call of 
Abraham and the beginning of a long line of posterity which 
must be trained in loyalty to Jehovah; hence the numerous 
promises and prophecies through this "father of the faithful." 
The di liverance of Israel out of Egyptian bondage presents an- 
other crisis that brings forth the prophetic activity of Moses. 
The beginning of the monarchy was another turning-point in 
s history; and hence the prophetic work of Samuel, 
David and others. No greater crisis occurred in the progress 
of the divine purpose with Israel than during the long period 
of the decline and captivity of the nation at the hands of the 
Assyrians and Babylonians; and therefore that notable galaxy 
of prophets among whom were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 
Daniel. It is not remarkable if, in such critical times when 
the prophecy is the means of saving the nation, the messages are 
carefully adapted to the circumstances and expressed in lan- 
guage to fit the needs of the people. 

(d) While prophecy was usually designed to 
£ or meet an immediate want, it was also frequently 

put in writing, that it might become a heritage 
to posterity.* There were two reasons why this should be so. 
The on«" is* that posterity might be taught to carry on the plan 
which Jehovah had revealed to their fathers; and the other is, 
that as time advanced and the predictions were fulfilled, Israel 
and the world might see that it was a divine plan and purpose 
that was being wrought out in the history of this chosen people. 
This is illustrated by the exiles in Babylonia who were influ- 
enced by the prophecies that had been uttered concerning the re- 

*On the value of these writings Canon Farrar has some well chosen 
words: "The writings of the Hebrew prophets are the crown and flower 
of the Old Testament writings. They are also the most unique repre- 
sentations of Hebrew nationality and thought. Other nations have had 
their poets and historians; but no nation has produced a set of writers 
so morallv eminent and politically beneficent as the Greater Prophets. 
They stand forth as the Protestants and Keformers of Judaism." 
Mi. Pr. p. 21. 



RELATION TO THE TIMES. 51 

turn before their fathers were carried away in captivity (Dan. 
9:2); and especially in the New Testament the recorded ut- 
terances of the Old Testament prophets are often quoted as 
proof that the Christ fulfilled a long-laid purpose of God. " 

(e) While the prophets were constantly in- 
Fcresio-htT^ nuenced by their environment, they were not 

• able to draw from the natural study of the 
times truths so far-reaching as those which they sometimes left 
on record.* They were doubtless able by a knowledge of the 
principles which bring success or failure to foresee prosperity 
and disaster; but no application of natural principles or 
knowledge of human nature could enable a prophet to describe 
with unerring accuracy the unique character and office of the 
Messiah as portrayed in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. No 
estimation of natural consequences nor any political foresight 
could prepare Jeremiah to foretell the length of the exile and 
the return of the captives (Jer. 29:10, 11). It was not possiWe 
for Jacob to foresee by any signs of the times the lion-like 
power of Judah and the long line of royalty which should make 
that tribe pre-eminent in all Israel (Gen. 49:9,10). No con- 
nection of prophecy with the times could qualify the Psalmist 
without divine revelation to predict the coming of the one who 
should at the same time be a powerful king, a universal judge, 
a victorious warrior, and yet a priest forever (Ps. 110), all of 
which are fulfilled in the Messiah. Nevertheless, this fact 
does not disprove a connection of these notable prophecies with 
the circumstances under which they arose. 

(f) The times in which the prophet lived 
on ltiona . required that many of his predictions should 

be conditional; for the messages were primarily designed to en- 
courage the people to a loyal obedience to Jehovah, and a con- 

*" Hebrew prophecy presents ns a system of instruction which cannot 
be explained from the reflections of the human mind. It gives us a 
view of redemption as the final goal of the world's history, which is 
heaven-born, and not a human invention. It accomplishes a work in 
advancing redemption that overcomes all human resistance as by a 
divine force. Its holy character — its absolute truth — its implicit confi- 
dence in the ultimate accomplishment of the most beautiful, elevating 
and sublime hopes — all combine in showing that one supreme, superhu- 
man energy inspired it all." Briggs, Mes. Pr. p. 32. 



52 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

ditional promise was the most powerful motive that a large 
class of people could receive. Unconditional threats or prom- 
ises did not influence character; it could produce only a care- 
less anticipation or a helpless despair. A promise of blessing 
based upon righteousness of life served well to sustain many a 
weak character that would otherwise have yielded to perverting 
influences. There were, however, some features of the divine 
plan that were not contingent upon the characters or deeds of 
men. The Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the 
world had been unconditionally determined upon in the divine 
mind; and hence certain predictions like that to David (2 Sam. 
7:16), "And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure 
for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for ever" 
(cf. Ps. 89:3,4), were unconditional and not to be thwarted by 
any of the weaknesses or follies of men. Jeremiah gives the pro- 
phetic law of conditional predictions (Jer. 18:7-10), that if 
evil be spoken of a nation, and the nation repent, the evil will 
not come upon it; and if good be spoken of a people, and the 
people turn aside to iniquity, the good shall not be realized. 

The conditions upon which predicted events 
Unexpressed. were contingent were not always expressed. 
Indeed, in the majority of prophecies the con- 
ditions were understood, or perhaps expressed in other ad- 
dresses by the prophet or other parts of the same address. In 
the preaching of Jonah at Nineveh no conditions were expressed 
in the message at all, but the people anticipated them, and 
Jonah himself understood them. The conditions were probably 
omitted to make the message emphatic. A threat of some 
great disaster put unconditionally makes a deeper impression 
upou the hearer than a threat put in contingent form. 

(g) The Hebrew prophets presented true 
ideals. They alone saw God's high purposes; 
and the people, not discerning the perfection of the divine in- 
tent, were constantly marring the prophetic work. While the 
ideals of the prophets were high, they did not present at any 
time the entire purpose of God. They painted the picture by 
parts; and no one of them beheld an entire view of the plan 
of human redemption. Each prophet had before his mind a 



LIMITATIONS TO PREDICTION. 53 

single section of the Messianic scheme; and not until the Messiah 
himself set forth his kingdom complete was it possible to put 
the prophetic fragments together and see the entire picture in 
its true perspective. 

If each prophecy were studied entirely alone, 
Alone ° mP 6te * ts s ig n ifi canc e could not be fully understood.* 
.A machinist might find a part of a cog-wheel, 
and understand that the cogs signified the fitness of the wheel 
to some other part of a machine; but he could not from this 
fragment discern completely the whole structure to which this 
belonged. He would not also attempt to state in full the purpose 
of this fragment, unless the whole machine and its ultimate -de- 
sign were known to him. So when we attempt to interpret a 
prophecy, we may see immediately its fitness in part to some 
historical condition; but it is impossible to understand it 
thoroughly until the whole system of prophetic work and the 
whole plan of God to which the prophecy belongs be presented 
fully to our minds. Hence the folly of denying the Messianic 
character of certain prophecies simply because the Messianic 
feature is not indubitably apparent in the prophecy when 
studied by itself. No prophecy is complete in itself, but all 
prophecy is more or less directly connected with the final rev- 
elation of human redemption. 

(3) Limitations to prediction. 
As to (a) From the principle of the fragmentary 

Details. character of Old Testament prophecy already 

announced, it follows that every prophecy is limited. Naturally 
the details of distant events which are unimportant at the time 
of prediction are not foreseen. Sometimes details are intro- 
duced poetically into a prediction, not with intent that such 
details shall be literally fulfilled, but for the rhetorical purpose 
of heightening the effect of the utterance. If the exact details 

*How faithfully Orelli holds to this vital truth! Note his words: 
"It must not be overlooked that the single prophetic oracle is not a 
chance product of momentary circumstances and moods, but professes to 
come from the divine Spirit; and that this origin is confirmed by the 
inner unity of prophecies originating in the most diverse circumstances 
and individuals, and separated by centuries; finally, that the revelation 
of Christ claims to be the one center, in which all the arteries of this 



54 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

of coming events were written, the result would be history writ- 
ten in advance, which would often embarrass the actors at the 
time of fulfilment, and the prophecy itself would serve more to 
gratify curiosity than to induce a more faithful life among the 
people. 

(b) On the same principle time and dis- 

As to tance are rarely seen by the prophet in their true 

p 5 P ortions proportions. The prophet, like a watchman in 
of Time f * * ■ \ » . 

and Distance, in his tower, sees an object on the horizon, notes 

its general outline, but is unable to determine 
its exact distance or the rapidity of its approach. Accordingly 
prophetic numbers are rarely exact or literal ; but are usually 
definite for indefinite (the figure of syneehdoche), and are de- 
signed to express the importance or the certainty of the proph- 
ecy. For example, in Rev. 11:11, speaking of the two wit- 
nesses who were dead, the prophet says, "And after the three 
days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, 
and they stood upon their feet;" which is much more vivid by 
specifying the three days and a half, however indefinite that 
period may be, than the statement would be without such a time 
period included. 

(c) The conditions of many prophecies may 

Modifications. not have been seen flllly b * v tlie P ro P net - It 
was no doubt the divine intent that the events 
at last should be modified on the one side by man's freedom, 
and on the other side by God's justice and mercy. This prin- 
ciple seems to be involved in the remark in 2 Peter 3:9, "The 
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slack- 
ness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any 
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This 
implies that the promise concerning the end of the world is de- 
layed, not because God is careless to fulfil it. but because the 

organism meet. Tims a mode of treating single oracles is demanded, 
which does not consider them as isolated alums, but regards them in 
their inner connection. And since every organism can only be truly 
understood in all its members from the completion of its development, 

tie' ■•,,! -t ion ami full significance of the prophecy of the old Covenant 

';. be duly appreciated in all its members from its fulfilment in 
the New Covenant." Mes. Pr. p. 61. 



LIMITATIONS TO PREDICTION. . 5S 

fulfilment depends at least in part upon man's repentance and 
God's longsuffering. The conditions do not appear in the 
earlier announcements concerning the close of this age. 

(d) In describing future blessings or woes, 
Degrees J°- s or sorrows > or other things admitting of 

degrees, the prophets are not always informed 
in what degree the experience will be realized. In this respect 
it was usual for the prophet to use a superlative as a means of 
securing a livelier interest among his hearers. Thus, when 
Ezekiel describes Jerusalem and the land of Judah as it was to 
be after the return of the exiles, he presents a picture of beauty 
and prosperity, of wealth and power, that the city and land 
never attained, and could not attain without an unparalleled 
miracle. This does not mean that the prophecy was false, but 
that the future prosperity was pictured in ideal forms and 
degrees which Israel never could fully secure. Exactness was 
not the purpose of prophecy, and hence it yielded everywhere 
to the more important design to develop a righteous people and 
a kingdom of holiness. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE OBJECT OF HEBREW PROPHECY. 

1. One object of prophecy was to unfold 
Design G ° d ' S God ' s design in the creation and administration 

of the world. Man of his own power was not 
aide to unravel the mystery of his own existence or of other 
things about him. This secret was hidden in the mind of the 
Creator; but since man was a creature of reason and of self- 
determination, so that he might be moved by motives, it was 
necessary that the Creator should set before him a goal to be 
won. Furthermore, if it was the intent of Gcd to assist man 
toward this goal through many generations, it was necessary 
to reveal to the race the meaning of the divine assistance. The 
prophets were the agents of God to make known the divine 
purposes to their fellowmen. 

2. Another object of prophecy was to reveal 
Principles^ anc * i m P ress the elements of moral law. To 

bring about a system of salvation like that de- 
veloped in the Scriptures, a great system of moral principles 
must be constructed, which the limited intelligence of man was 
not able to devise.* The prophetic lawgivers and reformers of 
the Old Testament by a long series of labors did rear a system 
of ethics, which for the support of truth and right has been 
proved to be far better than fortresses, more enduring than 

*Tt is sometimes claimed that modern research has disproved the 
divine origin of Hebrew ethics; that contemporary nations had similar 
ideas of morality; and that the ethics of the Egyptians, Arabians, and 
espealally that now manifested in the Code of Hammurabi, embraced all 
the fundamental principles of the Hebrew legislation. It is very true 
that the heathen in all lands have ever had an elementary system of 
morals, that some have produced better codes than others, and that some 
of tU-ese are admirably well developed; but these facts do not obscure 



OBJECT OF PROPHECY. 57 

pyramids, and more influential than princes or monarchs. 
Moreover, this law became one of the most important features 
in the preparation which the older dispensation furnished for 
the kingdom of God. Christian institutions would have been 
impossible without a thorough inculcation of those moral prin- 
ciples which the law deeply implanted in the Jewish mind. 

3. It was the purpose of prophecy also to 
True^KeHffion establish a true religion. Heathen peoples had 

systems of worship which had grown up in their 
midst, but which were full of corruptions, and lacked a re- 
cognition both of the true God and of the true nature of ac- 
ceptable service. In the midst of this darkness, it was the of- 
fice of the chosen people to set forth a shining light. "While 
others offered sacrifices, these were to make known to the world 
the acceptable kinds of sacrifices and the true meaning of all 
sacrifice. While others engaged in prayer and praise, these 
were to show the vanity of empty forms of worship and the 
folly of service from hearts that were corrupted with vice. While 
others in their ignorance served God in temples made with 
hands, these were to teach that He is Lord of heaven and earth, 
that He is not served by men's hands as though he needed any- 
thing, that He has made of one every nation of men to dwell on 
all the face of the earth, that they should seek God, if haply they 
might feel after Him and find Him, though He is not far from 
each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being. 
It was the work of the Hebrew people in the course of many 
generations to develop ultimately the Christian church which 
should through all time be the instructor and exemplar of the 
true worship in spirit and in truth. 

4. Still another purpose of prophecy was to 
^Destinyf guide the nation of Israel toward that high des- 
tiny for which it was selected. It had been sep- 
arated from all other peoples of the earth, that upon it Jehovah 

the work of the prophets of Israel, who constantly advanced the ethical 
standards of the people, and based them upon the high ground of the 
character, the will and the purpose of Jehovah. Others made morals 
a matter of personal honor or practical utility, always unsteady foun- 
dations, which suggest no ideas higher than man, no redemption from 
sin, no future glory of the race. 



58 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

might bestow his choicest promises, that to it He might give a law 
instructive to nations of every age, that in it might be manifested 
a pure and exalted worship, and that through it might be 
brought to the world the richest of all blessings in the Mes- 
sianic kingdom. A nation which was to fulfil missions so 
lofty as these, and which was nevertheless disposed with the 
same weaknesses as the rest of humanity, required almost con- 
stant direction, instruction and discipline, lest it fail of its high 
achievement. This guardianship of national fortunes was a 
part of the prophetic office. 

5. But, last of all, it was the purpose of 
Nev^mngdom P ro P necv to usher in the new kingdom. The Old 
Testament prophets were always preparing for 
a time to come. Their work always pointed toward some future 
culmination of events. They looked forward to one who 
should sit for ever on David's throne; they anticipated a period 
when the savage and the gentle should be transformed into a 
spirit of unity and harmony; and they foretold a kingdom that 
should never be destroyed, a sovereignty that should not be 
transferred to another people. The whole work and life of the 
Hebrew prophet was to make his people ready for that "far off 
divine event." That event was the goal of prophecy. It was 
to be the culmination of the age-long purpose of God. 



Messianic Prophecy. 



Utterances of Hebrew Prophets. 
CHAPTER I. 

PATRIARCHAL PROPHECIES. 

1. Preliminary Note. 

Independent No prophetic messages are invested with 

Value greater interest than those brief, rare utterances, 

which are inlaid in the patriarchal history. Strangely enough, 
their value is almost independent of literary criticism.* They 
are gems of so evident quality that little depends upon the- 
formation in which they were originally set. No matter when or 
by whom it was said that man was created in the divine image, 
its truth and significance are unchanged. No difference in what 
pre-Christian age or by what person it was first announced that 
the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, the 
words convey the same profound prophecy. Whether the bless- 
ings of Noah and of Jaeob were pronounced by those fathers. 
over- the heads of their sons, or composed by some far removed 
Hebrew poet, their depth and reach of truth are the same. All 
these passages are irrevocably prophetic;, and whether inten- 
tionally or not, their author or authors, spoke words of destiny, 

*On this point the remarks of G. S. Goodspeed (Is. Mes. Hope, pp. 13,. 
14,) are irrelevant. He says, "All these materials are organized, inter- 
preted, and idealized under the influence of the religious conceptions 
and aspirations of later ages, in which the religious education and di- 
vine guidance of Israel's teachers had passed beyond tfye elementary 
stage." In a foot-note he adds, "The consideration of the historical 
background of this material would then naturally come in the periods 
to which the prophetic interpreters belong." The truth is, the Mes- 
sianic kernal of the patriarchal history is not interpreted in the records 
at all. On the historical accuracy of these accounts, criticism has no 



60 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

which no human eye could have foreseen, and no human heart 
without divine aid could have pre-conceived. They can be 
neither the chance product of primitive life, nor the substance 
of poetic dream : for the utterances themselves are greater than 
the men who made them, and their meaning cannot be compassed 
by the conditions of any time when they may have arisen. 
As precious stones do not always reveal their beauty to those 
who mine them or examine them in the quarry, so these prophe- 
cies betrayed not the secret of their value to either patriarch or 
poet, nor do they disclose it to the strictly contextual interpreter, 
but they reveal their inherent wealth only when held up to the 
light of Messianic development. 

It is significant that these early utterances 

Forms 2 &U are c hi en< y * n poetic form set in the midst of 
prose literature. This suggests that the writer 
■of the history is not the author of these remarkable words. They 
have come down to him in a fixed form, and not as other sayings 
freely recorded in the patriarchal story. These prophecies were 
legacies from the fathers, precious heirlooms handed down in 
the sacred family through uncounted generations. The messages 
in this period assume two forms, (1) that of direct divine decla- 
ration to persons prepared to receive it, and (2) that of parental 
blessings and curses communicated by the father to his sons. 

The former is a natural and consistent event 

First Form. in a period of personal direction from God and 

numerous theophanies, and at a time when, if 

■ever, the divine presence in the guidance of the race was needed. 

It was then, according to our records, that God walked in the 

word; as G. A. Smith has said, "It is simply impossible for us at this 
lime of day to establish the accuracy." The Messianic poem of this 
period is far older than the present form of the historical narartive; and 
since the narrative does not interpret the poem, and the accuracy of the 
narrative is not subject to criticism, how little may criticism interpret 
the poem through the unknown author of the narrative! Prof. Byle 
(Cambridge, Eng.) bus the truth: "There are no clear criteria by 
which to distinguish precisely the historical nucleus contained in the 
patriarchal narratives from the idealized picture." Without criteria, 
criticism is unable to decide whether the later writer has given an 
"idealized picture" instead of the "historical nucleus" or not. For- 
tunately in later prophecy criticism has a more certain field. 



PATRIARCHAL PROPHECY. 61 

garden, or man walked with God, or the Most High appeared in 
vision or at the tent-door of those whom He had chosen as the 
instruments of His communication and influence with men. 

The latter form is remarkable for the import- 
Second Form, ance attached to a father's blessing. The father 
was understood to be gifted with a promise from 
Jehovah that related to his posterity; and it was reasonable 
that he should hand down at least to one of his children this 
precious boon with all that it might mean. The blessing con- 
ferred this sacred gift. As the favor itself was divine, none 
doubted that the final choice among the sons was divinely guided, 
and would be divinely honored. Whether or not this idea was 
correct, we may decide only by the logic of events. If, in fact, 
as all later ages establish, the blessing remained where it fell, if 
through the midst of the ten thousand contingencies and fluctua- 
tions of human fortune an unseen hand has unfailingly secured to 
the chosen son and his posterity a marvelous form and fulness 
of the blessing pronounced by the father, who shall question the 
prophetic value of his words? The father was endowed with 
one precious possession which by his blessing he gave as an in- 
heritance to the chosen son; and thus as by a testament which 
could not be broken he bequeathed the richest part of his fortune. 

2. The Image of God. Gen. i. 26-30. 

There is a matchless simplicity and majesty 
Pronoun 1 * n ^ e first utterance concerning man in the 

Scriptures. There is a hidden dignity in the 
opening words, "Let us make man." No measure of scholarship 
has been able to sound the depths of the simple pronoun "Us." 
Many interpreters have suggested that it is the plural of majesty, 
and that a like plural appears in the Hebrew word for God 
(Elohim) ; but if so, why do such sentences as this occur very 
rarely* in the Bible? and why does the word Elohim regularly 
take a singular verb or pronoun when referring to Jehovah? 
Others have explained the plural by reference to the Trinity: 
and this is possible, since the Father, the Son (Logos), and the 

•Compare Gen. 11:7; Isaiah 6:8. 



62 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Holy Spirit are all represented as having part in the creation of 
the world (1 Cor. 8:6; John 1:3; Gen. 1:2). Nevertheless, it 
seems remarkable that the Trinity should appear in this verse, 
and nowhere else in this account, and never elsewhere by the 
use of plurals. Others suppose that the plural form here marks 
simply a deliberation on the part of the Creator when about to 
create the noblest of all creatures. Certainly this deliberation is 
implied by the solemn introduction "Let us make," which does 
not occur when about to call other creatures into being. It 
would seem that in the divine mind, or at least rhetorically in 
the thought of the writer of this account, the work of creation 
was approaching its climax, and a pause of deliberation is made 
before the greatest of all creatures is formed. Whether this 
accounts for the plurals or not, it signifies much for the dignity 
and honor of man, and marks him for a high career. » 

Man is said to be created in the image of God. 
God's Image. Unquestionably the human body excels the bodies 
of any of the lower animals in organic perfection and in elegance 
and dignity of form, and in these respects it rises nearer to the 
divine excellence; but since God is a spirit, and is not known to 
have any bodily form, it is possible that the divine image does 
not refer to the human body at all. There is an evident similarity 
between the mind of man and that of God; for Ave have reason 
to believe that as the powers of the human mind may be classed 
as intellectual, emotional and volitional, so God thinks and feels 
and wills. The great difference lies in the extent of these poAvers. 
Man's ideas and emotions and volitions are weak and limited, 
while those of God are unlimited and infinite. It is because 
man's mind is ordered after the manner of the Creator's mind, 
that man is capable in some measure of knowing God, of receiv- 
ing revelations of the divine will, and of yielding acceptable ser- 
vice to Him. 

This account of man's creation records not 

?J ai 0L«« only his excellence, but also the authority and 

Eminence. ,.. .. , . , , . 1T . 

dominion with which he was invested. It is 

said that he should fill the earth and subdue it, and have do- 
minion over every living being on the earth. This emphasizes 
and confirms his likeness to the Creator. Man's authority points 



THE IMAGE OF GOD. 63 

to the high station for which he was designed, and marks a 
notable distinction between him and the animals below him. He 
has powers which they do not possess, a spiritual nature of which 
they are not heirs. They are merely his servants, ministering to 
his needs; while he is the real object of creation. They supply 
to man only a convenient environment, while his interests furnish 
the real purpose of the whole creative work. 

This passage, therefore, has a very important 

Value of Messianic significance. It is the basis of all 

This Passage. Messianic purpose and prophecy. It is because 

man is made in God's image that he is capable 

t)f attaining to a Messianic glory that is worthy of the divine 

^effort in his behalf. The powers of man were susceptible of 

divine training, were capable of sinning and. reforming, were 

able to apprehend the divine good-will and good intention and 

"to put forth an appropriate effort to reach the promised goal. 

Man was created for a march toward eternal life. 

The fall of man did not so completely destroy 
Man's Fall tne divine i ma ge as to preclude the prophetic 
value of that sacred likeness. In man's sin the 
beauty of this image has been marred by the loss of purity in 
character, loyalty to Jehovah, and intellectual and moral powers; 
but the ability to appreciate the good, to repent of the bad, and 
to seek the high destiny to which God points the human soul, has 
not been lost. These powers have been weakened, and in some 
instances their exercise has been suspended ; but they are poten- 
tial, and may be awakened by earnest appeals to the conscience 
and to the moral ambition of the soul. The fact that these powers 
may be brought into use is the highest proof that they have not 
heen destroyed, and hence that the image of God has not been 
•obliterated. The essential conditions of the Messianic effort still 
remain, and the hope of indefinite advancement under divine 
guidance may still be cherished. 

3. The Victory of the Race. Gen. in. 14, 15. 

"And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done 
this, cursed are thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the 
iield; upon thy belly shall thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days 



64 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and 1 
between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head and thou 
shalt bruise his heel." 

This prophecy is set in the circumstances of 
The Setting. ^ ie fail. The serpent has deceived the woman, 
and both she and her husband have sinned. The serpent as the 
representative of moral evil and the powers of human seduction 
is cursed; while also upon the erring man and woman punish- 
ments are pronounced. It is a sad scene ; and a dark, unknown 
future opens up before humanity. Labors and sorrows and dis- 
appointments are to multiply, and a deep-seated enmity between 
the posterity of the woman and the offspring of the serpent must 
fill all coming days with dread and grief. In the midst of this 
gloom there is just one ray of light, and that is the promise that 
the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. "What 
that might mean could not be fully known at the time, and never 
known until the victory of humanity over the powers of evil 
should be accomplished. 

The proper interpretation of this prophecy 
Interpretation carmot De based wholly upon the circumstances 
under which it appears to arise. A literal strug- 
gle between man and serpents does not meet the moral emergency 
of the occasion. It certainly involved a future ethical struggle, 
in which man should sustain loss, but out of which he should 
emerge victorious. Yet how long this struggle should last, how 
serious the loss should be, and in what manner or to what extent 
the victory should be secured, are questions which the circum- 
stances of the time must leave unanswered. If the prophecy be 
true, only the history of man could solve these mysteries. 

The development of a divine plan of human redemption in 
Christ has furnished an interpretation laden with a deeper and 
richer meaning than any other that could be applicable to the 
language.* The long, sharp struggle with sin is a matter of 
record. The loss to man in point of honor, nobility of character 

*"Her seed is the entire race of her descendants. But inasmuch as 
the serpent is represented as bruising the heel of the man, and is dis- 
tinguished from his seed in God's direct address to him as thou, and the 
original tempter himself is thus to be the finally crushed and conquered 



THE STABILITY OF THE EARTH. 65 

and almost every excellence of his nature has been seen in every 
generation. In spite of all this, God has operated through a 
long line of prophets and teachers, and finally through His own- 
Son, to unfold a system of instruction, reformation and salvation-, 
which gradually is uplifting the race and promising to man a 
return to honor and God-likeness which must have seemed for 
ages impossible.* Thus the seed of the woman, which is the human 
race, is reaching its culmination in Christ, bruising the head of. 
the great moral serpent ; and the stroke is to be fatal and finaL 

4. The Stability of the Earth. Gen. viii. 20-22; ix. d-lf, 

The time of this prophecy was when the pa- 
Occasion triarch Noah was offering sacrifices to Jehovah 
in the first acts of worship just after the deluge. 
It is virtually a new beginning of the race, for from this one 
family the earth is to be repopulated. The future is to bring 
another test of human fortune ; and it must be with some fore- 
bodings that man looks forward after having passed through the 
experiences of such a shipwreck on account of sin as that which 
had befallen the Adamic family. It would not be easy for Noah 
and his sons to shake off the question, Does humanity go forth 
only to meet another catastrophe and to be lost in another flood? 
It is the purpose of God to remove this dread and plant in the 
minds of men the idea of the permanance of the earth and the 
continued regularity of supplies to meet human wants. Without 
such a prospect, no Messianic prophecies could ever have value 
with the race ; for if man is not to continue, or if the world is to 
be too unstable to afford him a permanent home and subsistence, 
he could not look forward with confidence to a distant accomplish- 
ment of the divine plan. 

The "sweet savor" from Noah's sacrifice which 

Sacrifice. the Lorc * is sai( * to nave sme Ned, is a beautiful 

poetic figure to express the divine favor in 

foe, it seems to be necessary to think of the seed of the woman as cul- 
minating in an individual victor who is to be the champion of his race 
and gain the final victory over the serpent." — Briggs. 

*Beautiful and apt are the words of Oehler (O. T. Theology, p. 54) : 
"In the simple childdike form, that enmity shall be between man and 



66 • THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

which the new race is now held. Sacrifice had undoubtedly been 
ordained of God, and Noah's obedience in this form of service 
commends him to the divine grace. Even the distinctions be- 
tween the clean and the unclean animals had existed before the 
deluge; and if it were not originally commanded by Jehovah, it 
kad at least according to our records received His approval (Gen. 
7 :l-3 I . At the time of so acceptable a service as this, a prophecy 
pf blessing was most appropriate. 

The prophecy was deemed so important as that 

Confirmation. ** must have special confirmation. It was incor- 
porated in a covenant made with Noah and with 
all flesh, and was to be perpetually signified by one of the most 
beautiful and widely distributed of nature's phenomena, the rain- 
bow. "While the bow in the cloud was not understood to be 
something new and beginning from that time, it was to have a 
new meaning as a reminder of God's promise. The prophecy 
itself marks a new era for man. Henceforth, while sin loses 
nothing of its hideousness and destructiveness, yet God's dealings 
with sinner's in the future will differ from those in the past in 
this respect, that while He has hitherto destroyed man for dis- 
obedience, hereafter he will permit men to go on in their course 
without divine interruption, and God will work out in the midst 
of men a plan of human redemption. 

The deluge, although it is not to be repeated, 

Divine Plan was ne i tner unjust nor in vain. It served by 
one occurrence to impress effectually upon the 
minds of men the principle of retribution of sin. In various 
ways after this, the same truth was to be taught without over- 
throwing the populations of the earth; and at the same time the 
far more valuble lesson of reformation and forgiveness of sins 
was to be inculcated. Toward this higher aim the purpose of 
God points when he promises the stability of the world, and 
enters into perpetual covenant with man. 

the serpent, the idea is expressed that a struggle sha'l exist between 
mankind and the principle of evil, and that man shall carry away from 
this combat wounds and injuries, while yet the victory cannot be 
doubtful. Thus in a few words, the whole course of the development 
of salvation is here exhibited in its germ; this is the seed-corn from 
which the whole history of salvation has grown." 



THE BLESSING OF SHEM. 67 

5. The Blessing of Sliem. Gen. ix. 26, 27. 

"Cursed be Canaan; « 

A servant of servants shall lie be unto his brethren. 

Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem; 

And let Canaan be his servant. 

God enlarge Japheth, 

And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; 

And let Canaan be his servant. ' ' 

The circumstances of this prophecy were the 
Circumstances drunkenness and exposure of Noah, his disre- 
spectful treatment by Ham and probably by 
Canaan, and his honorable treatment by Shem and Japheth. 
The occasion makes apparent the character and disposition of the 
sons, which were probably handed down to their descendants. 
While the prophecy was an immediate rebuke to Ham and 
Canaan, and a commendation of Shem and Japheth, the predic- 
tions have reference mainly to their posterity. 

The curse of servitude pronounced on Canaan 
was fulfilled in his descendants in their relation 
to Israel during many generations, as the history of Israel clearly 
reveals. Probably uo other son of Ham was present at the time 
of the prophecy and as the other sons were to have little to do 
with the fortunes of the Semitic race, they are not .mentioned in 
the prediction. Ham is not individually cursed, but the curse 
of his son reflected back a deep shame upon the father. 

The most important part of this prophecy is 
The Blessings, the blessing of Shem. It consists in blessing Je- 
hovah, and calling him the God of Shem. This 
implies that the true God would be served by Shem's posterity, 
and probably deserted by the other families. In the passage, 
"God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem," 
some interpreters have understood "him" to be Japheth, which 
would mean let Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem; but this is 
improbable, since it would seem to make Japheth dependent upon 
Shem for a habitation, which would virtually turn Japheth 's 
blessing into a curse. Japheth 's dwelling in Shem's tents could 
hardly mean that Japheth was to become a learner of religious 



68 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

truth from Shem, for dwelling in his tents would be a very ob- 
scure expression of that thought, and this again would make 
Japheth dependent upon his brother. 

It is better to understand that it is God who is 
Better View, to dwell in the tents of Shem. The passage is 
poetical ; and according to the manner of Hebrew 
poetry, the line, "God enlarge Japheth," is parallel to the next 
line, "And let him dwell in the tents of Shem." The word 
"him" in the second line is parallel to "God" in the first line. 
In this sense the two lines express a blessing each for Japheth 
and Shem ; God will enlarge Japheth, and will take up His abode 
with Shem. The enlargement can refer only to the greatness of 
population among the descendants of Japheth ; and this has been 
abundantly fulfilled in the vast populations of Europe and East- 
ern Asia. 



The presence of God with Shem has also been 
With Shem, 



perfectly fulfilled in the dealings of God with 



Israel. Dwelling in the tents of a people implies 
a very intimate and friendly relationship and companionship. 
Such intimacy has not existed between Japheth and Shem, but 
has existed between God and Shem. In the most intimate way 
the Hebrew records represent God as giving His laws to Israel, 
abiding in the tabernacle and temple, receiving the daily service 
and sacrifice of the people, announcing His numerous prophetic 
messages to them, and finally causing His own Son to dwell in 
their midst as one of their number. While this is the most nat- 
ural view of the prophecy, it is the one fraught with a meaning 
the most signficant and far-reaching. Any other interpretation 
seems unnatural, if not weak and insipid. 

6. The Abrahamic Promises and Covenants. 

On different occasions promises were made to 

Occasions Abraham, some parts of which are repeated from 

time to time, but which taken altogether make 

a considerable advance on the prophecies already discussed. It 

will be convenient to review these promises separately. 



ABRAHAMIC PROPHECIES. 69 

(1) At the time when Abram was called out 
the Chaldees °^ ^ r °^ tne Chaldees, he was told to go forth 

from his country and kindred to a land that God 
would show him; and the promise is thus expressed: "I will 
make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy 
name great; and be thou a blessing; and I will bless them that 
bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee 
shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 12:1-3. In 
this announcement Abram has the promise of a personal blessing, 
a great name, a national greatness and a blessed influence over 
all the other peoples of the earth.*" 

(2) "When Abram arrived in Canaan he was 

in 1 Canaan * ^ to ^* lip ^ s eyes an( ^ v ^ ew tne ^ an( ^ * n 

every direction ; and the promises here are made 

in these words: "For all the land which thou seest, to thee will 

I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as 

the dust of the earth : so that if a man can number the dust of 

the earth, then may thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk 

through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; 

for unto thee will I give it." Here is a clear promise that the 

land of Canaan shall belong to the descendants of Abram, and 

that his posterity shall be innumerable. 

(3) Just before the destruction of Sodom, 
of f Sodom aU wnen Abram stood in the presence of Jehovah, 

and God was about to announce to him the im- 
pending catastrophe, Jehovah is represented as saying to Him- 
self, "Shall I hide from Abram that which I do; seeing that 
Abram shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all 
the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him ? ' ' Gen. 18 :17, 18. 
In this passage there is again clearly a foresight of the greatness 
of the nation which is to descend from this patriarch; and to 
this is added a repetition of the prophecy that in Abraham shall 
all the nations of the earth find a blessing. 

*' ' The far-reaching extent, the certanity, and the definiteness of Ab- 
raham 's view of the future were unexampled. There far back in the 
hazy dawn he stood while the morning mists hid the horizon from every 
other eye, and he alone discerns what is to be. One clear voice and 
one only rings out in unfaltering tones and from the midst of the babel 



rO THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



(•A) Before the birth of Ishniael Jehovah 



Before Birth 

his heir, and not his servant Eliezer; and he 



promised Abram that his own son should be 



brought Abram forth, and said, "Look now toward heaven, and 
number the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy 
seed be." At the same time Jehovah made the covenant with 
Abram. saying, "Unto thy seed have I given this land from the 
river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." 
Gen. xv. These promises and the covenant were sealed by an 
offering of slain animals, the parts of which were separated 
into two rows, between which in the darkness of the evening God 
caused a smoking furnace and flaming torch to pass in Abram 's 
sight. To the mind of an Oriental such a scene was a most sol- 
emn confirmation. On this occasion the promise of numerous 
posterity is renewed, and the future possession of the land of 
Canaan is made a part of a solemn covenant. 

(5) A short time before the birth of Isaac 
of Isaac l Jehovah appeared again to Abram, and told him 

that he should be the father of a multitude of 
nations, that he should no longer be called Abram (which means 
exalted father), but that he should be called Abraham (father of 
a multitude), that nations and kings should be among his people, 
and that he would establish an everlasting covenant with him 
and his posterity to give them the chosen land for an everlasting 
possession, while Jehovah was to be their God, and Abraham and 
his sons perpetually were to observe the rite of circumcision. To 
this was added the promise of the son Isaac and the establishment 
of this covenant with him. Gen. 17 :1-21. 

(6) On the occasion of Abraham's obedience 
Isaac* enng to the very trying command to offer up his son 

Isaac as a sacrifice, these words were addressed 
to him from heaven: "By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, 
because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, 

of voices that utter either amazing follies or misdirected yearnings, gives 
the one true forecast and direction — the one living word which has sep- 
arated itself from and survived all the prognostications of Chaldean 
soothsayers and priests of Ur, because it has never ceased to give life 
to men." Dods, Com. on Genesis, xii. 



ABRAHAMIC PROPHECIES. 71 

thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiply- 
ing! I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens and as 
the sand which is upon the sea-shore ; and thy seed shall possess 
the gates of his enemies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of 
the earth be blessed. ' ' Gen. 22 :16-18. In this passage the prom- 
ises to give a numerous posterity and a supremacy over adver- 
saries are confirmed by the oath of the Lord. Here is also re- 
peated the prophecy that in Abraham's seed all the nations of 
the earth should be blessed. 

The force of all these promises and predictions 
The C promises. can ^ e a PP r eciated only by taking into account 
the importance of the call and covenants of Ab- 
raham. It is a turning point in the divine plan. Hitherto God 
has been dealing with humanity as a race; but henceforth He 
selects one family or nation through whom He may operate for 
the blessing of all. The nations are wayward and incorrigible. 
They must be permitted to run their courses in sin for a season, 
but they must not be altogether abandoned. God can best reach 
them by making one family the recipient of His choicest blessings, 
the possessors of a chosen land, and the almoners of a great ethical 
and spiritual fortune. "When the other nations shall have learned 
by bitter experience the folly of sin, and when they shall have 
seen the inestimable advantages of serving' Jehovah, they may be 
brought back through the agency of the Abrahamic people to 
righteousness and loyalty. This is the far-reaching purpose in 
calling Abraham and giving to him these rare and remarkable 
promises. 

Since Abraham was childless, and since a de- 
velopment of his faith in God was essential to 
the proposed plan, promises of offspring were made and yet de- 
layed until the fulfilment could be accomplished only by miracle. 
This exercise of faith was the means of its cultivation. Since 
the Abrahamic people were to be separate from other nations 
and to be restrained from the immoralities and idolatry of the 
other peoples of the earth, it was necessary to assign to them a 
chosen land. In order that this people might be in position to 
exercise the greatest influence upon the other inhabitants of the 



72 THE .MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

earth, the Land was selected in a place where during the period 
of G <l's operation with Abraham's descendants they would be 
in the midst of the greatest nations of the earth. Here, as in 
the presence of all nations, was to be the theatre of Jehovah's 
magnificent efforts to save one people and through them to reach 
all the rest. 

The change of Abram's name was significant. 
Snged. me He was not t0 be simply an "exalted father," 
but to be the ''father of a multitude;" and as 
this was one of the important features of the covenants, it was 
appropriate that the name should become a monument of the pre- 
diction. All later generations contemplating this change of 
name would be able to see how perfectly the promise to which it 
testified was being fulfilled. An advantage appears also in mak- 
ing a covenant with Abraham which should include his descen- 
dants. It would serve to bind Abraham to God by ties of duty 
and loyalty, and also serve to advertise God's determination and 
self-imposed obligation to secure through this family a blessing 
for the whole race. Thus Jehovah binds a people to Him, and 
at the same time enters into solmen contract to work out for hu- 
manity a benefit the value of which should be estimated in ad- 
vance only by the honor and dignity of its sacred author. 

The extent and importance of the promises and 
Promises covenants are now to be understood only in the 

light of what Jehovah has done through Abra- 
ham for the world. It cannot be denied that through him and 
his descendants the purest and best religious ideas have been pre- 
served and cultivated, that the most perfect system of moral 
law has been promulgated, that the most reasonable and elevating 
system of worship has been established, and that the most pow- 
erful motives to philanthropic work in the rescue and advance- 
ment of humanity have been secured. It is foolish to doubt 
that these were included in the divine purpose when these prom- 
ises were made, and it is equally vain to assume that these ideas 
must have arisen at a later time than Abraham's day and are 
merely thrown back into the Abrahamic history by some remote 
Hebrew prophet, seeing that God is unquestionably the author 



ABRAHAMIC PROPHECIES. 73 

and promoter of the whole scheme which no generation of men 
-could either invent or execute.* 

The Messianic bearing of these promises to 
Bearing 10 Abraham will appear mainly in the following 

points: (1) One family is chosen out of the 
"posterity of Shem, with whom Jehovah was to have His dwelling. 
and in this family all previous blessings are to be concentrated, 
bo that the divine plan has become more definite and restricted 
than in any former prediction. (2) A definite land is pointed 
out, in which the future divine efforts are to have a specific lo- 
cation. (3) God enters into sealed covenant to favor this peo- 
ple and through them to bring a benefit to all others. (4) This 
covenant is to have perpetual force ; and since it is confirmed by 
an oath, it is clearly not to be thwarted by the weaknesses and 
failings of men, but is ladened with an unconditional blessing. 
(5) Inasmuch as the purpose of Jehovah as demonstrated by 
later developments clearly included the humanitarian work of 
Christ, the covenant itself must compass all those, whether Jew 
or Gentile, who are brought into a vital union with the Messiah. 
This justifies the conclusion reached by the apostle Paul, Gal. 
3:29, "And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs 
according to promise. " (6) The emphasis is finally laid on Ab- 
raham's seed, rather than himself, because the purpose behind 
the promise looked to an accomplishment in the distant future. 
The world would receive but little blessing from xibraham's per- 
gonal career; but through the select nation and the Messiah all 
peoples were to be profoundly influenced. This is a remarkable 
reflection of that idea of universal victory which was promised 
to the seed of the woman (Gen. 3 :15) ; and yet there is presented 

*Riehm's proposition, "What can be recognized only in the time of 
fulfilment ia precisely what is not contained in the prophecy itself," 
is certainly true; but it is too indefinite to be practical. Riehm felt 
this, and hence added, "From this sense must not be omitted what the 
prophet apprehended only in vague presentiment, without clear con- 
sciousness. This presentiment belongs to the contents of the prophecy — 
of course, however, in the vagueness characteristic of all mere presen- 
timent." In the Arahamic promise and in many other prophecies, 
there is in vague form, in germ, the far-off Messianic content, that 
must have furnished little more than a presentiment to the prophet; 



74 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

here a far more definite outline of that divine plan by which the 
victory should be secured. 

(7) The Promises to Isaac and Jacob. 

It was proper that the promises made to 
Repeated miSeS Abraham should be repeated to succeeding gen- 
erations in the form of direct messages until 
they should become incorporated in a permanent institution. 
Only in this way could the devotion of the elect family to 
Jehovah and to His purpose be secured. Accordingly, Jehovah 
forebade Isaac to remove from Canaan into Egypt, and urged 
him to dwell in the land in which he lived, saying, "For unto 
thy seed will I give all these lands, and I will establish the oath 
which I swear unto Abraham, thy father, that I will multiply 
thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all 
these lands ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be 
blessed ; because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my 
charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." Gen. 
26 :2-5. This is chiefly a repetition of the promises made to 
Abraham, and evidently designed to keep Isaac in the path of 
their fulfilment. In this statement the promises appear to be 
based on Abraham's obedience; but it is better to understand 
that it was the oath of God which was vouchsafed on the oc- 
casion of the patriarch's obedience. This was appropriate be- 
cause a disobedient man would have been unfit to receive such 
an oath, and further, because this recognition of faithful obed- 
ience would tend to stimulate like obedience among Abraham's 
descendants. It is easy to see how salutary must have been the 
effect of this message to Isaac. 

Isaac's When Isaac was old and was about to bestow 

Blessing. his chief paternal blessing upon one of his sons, 

Jacob came into his presence, and was blessed as follows : 

and yet what that germ really contained can be seen only after the 
Messianic development. It was clear to the prophet that God purposed 
something, but it remained for the future to unfold it and interpret 
it. See also the writer's Principles of Interpretation, pp. 236-7. 



PROMISES TO ISAAC AND JACOB. 75 

"God give thee of the dew of heaven, 

And of the fatness of the earth, 

And plenty of rain and new wine: 

Let peoples serve thee, 

And nations bow down to thee: 

Be lord over thy brethren, 

And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: 

Cursed be every one that curseth thee, 

And blessed be every one that blesseth thee." 

—Gen. 27:28, 29. 

While this blessing makes no direct reference to the Abra- 
hamic promise, yet it repeats some of the very language of that 
promise, and at the same time by announcing that Jacob's 
kinsmen should bow down to him and that he should be lord 
over his brethern the leading promise which was to be fulfilled 
in Isaac is handed on to Jacob, and limited to his family. The 
supremacy here implied found not only a natural fulfilment in 
the reigns of David and Solomon when kindred nations were- 
made subject to Israel, but also a deeper and greater spiritual 
fulfilment in the dominion of Christ over the hearts of men. 
Whatever may be said of the probability that this blessing 
should have so great a reach of meaning, it is eertain that in that 
good providence which presided over the affairs of men these 
things have come to pass. It is difficult to see why, if these 
events were already in the divine purpose, which was selecting 
Isaac to these ends, they should not be thought to be included in 
the predictions whose wording is so perfectly suited to embrace 
them all. 
Jacob's At a later time when Jacob was hurrying from 

Vision. hi s father's home to escape the wrath of his: 

brother Esau, he had a vision at Luz, in which he saw in his 
dream a ladder extending from earth to heaven, and from above 
the ladder God spoke : 

"I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of 
Isaac: the land whereon thy liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy 
seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt 
spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the 
south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth 
be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whitherso- 
ever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will 
not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. " 
Gen. 28:13-15. 



76 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

This repeats part of the promise already made to Abraham 
and Isaac, and adds the promise to be with Jacob wherever he 
might go and to bring him back to the land of Canaan. The 
value of this additional promise appears in two considerations: 

(1) It would rive Jacob confidence during his absence in a 
foreign land that he was in the divine care, which would tend to 
keep him faithful to God when he might be tempted to idolatry. 

(2) It would plainly signify to Jacob that he was not to make 
his permanent abode in Padam Aram, but in Canaan. 

On Jacob's return with his family and flocks 
o^Name ange wnen ne was approaching the land of Canaan, 
the Lord wrestled with him by night, and at the 
last, after proving to Jacob by the withering touch of the divine 
finger, that he was indeed in a contest with God, He asks his 
name, "and he said Jacob. And he said. Thy name shall be 
called no more Jacob, but Israel : for thou hast striven with God 
and men, and hast prevailed. ' ' Gen. 32 :27, 28. A little later 
the statement concerning the change of name was repeated to 
Jacob, and the promises concerning his posterity and the pos- 
session of the land were renewed. The old name Jacob, mean- 
ing supplanter, had doubtless been in some measure appropriate 
to his former life ; but it was very badly adapted to express the 
new relation that henceforth he and his descendants were to 
sustain toward God. The name Israel, meaning striver with 
God or soldier of God, was prophetic of the conflicts and con- 
quests which Israel should afterwards have under Jehovah's 
direction. Whatever else this may include, it signified a future 
close relationship to God such as that which for many centuries 
the nation enjoyed. The name Jacob was almost exclusively 
the name of the patriarch himself, but the name Israel was more 
commonly the name of his people. In this way, it would seem, 
the writers of the Old Testament indicated their understanding 
that the new name was not intended for the father, but for his 
posterity. 

(8) The Blessing of Judah. Gen. xlix. 3-12. 
Blessing When Jacob was about to die he called to- 

Stated, gether his sons to tell them what should befall 

them in the latter days. In speaking of Judah, he compares 



THE BLESSING OF JUDAH. 77 

him to a lion going up from the prey, and then adds, "The 
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from, 
between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the 
obedience of the peoples be." The comparison of Judah to a 
lion is doubtless intended to signify both strength and royalty. 
The tribe of Judah became the largest of the twelve ; for we are 
informed in Num. 2 A, 26, that the tribe of Judah numbered 
74,600, and that the tribe of Dan was next in size with 62,700. 
Judah maintained remarkable strength throughout her history, 
and was the only tribe to return from the Babylonian exile with 
an appreciative number. 

We cannot reasonably understand that the 
Acquired ^ sce Pt re was acquired by Judah at the time 
when that tribe was appointed to lead the other 
tribes in the march of the people while they were in the wilder- 
ness under the direction of Moses (Num. 10:14) ; for at this time 
Judah had no sceptre, and even the great law-giver and leader 
of the people during that period was Moses of the tribe of Levi. 
Moses' successor, Joshua, was of the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 
13:8); and the first king of Israel was Saul of the tribe of 
Benjamin (1 Sam. 9:1,2). So that no great leader in Israel 
came from the tribe of Judah until David. In him the sceptre 
was vested in Judah, and in no proper sense was it removed 
from that tribe before it passed into the hands of the "Lion of 
the tribe of Judah." It is true that from the beginning of the 
Babylonian Exile to the coming of Christ David's successors 
did not exercise royal powers; but during all that time the 
Davidic family was kept distinct, and were the natural heirs of 
the throne. After Christ, at the destruction of Jerusalem, 70 
A. D., the Davidic household was scattered, and was lost. Jesus, 
the ever-living representative of the Davidic family became by 
the decree of fortune, as well as by that of Jehovah, the only 
heir to that throne which in a prophecy later than this was said 
to be "established forever." It is difficult to compare this bold 
statement concerning the sceptre of Judah with the later history 
without the conviction that the hand of God which must have 
directed the fortunes of Israel also controlled the mind of the 
patriarch. 



78 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

"Shiloh" ^ n tne P assa » e > "The sceptre shall not depart 

from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between 
his feet, until Shiloh come," the meaning of Shiloh has awak- 
ened some variety of opinion. 

Not a (1) It is not probable that Shiloh here is 

Place, the name of the city mentioned in 1 Samuel 

4:3, 4; in which case the passage would mean "until he (Judah) 
come to Shiloh." It is true that Judah led in the conquest of 
Canaan, and that the ark was located at Shiloh when the eon- 
quest was concluded: but this is not a circumstance of sufficient 
moment to have a reasonable place in the patriarch's blessing, 
Moreover, if Jacob forsaw the coming to Shiloh with the ark, he 
should have foreseen also that Judah did not have a sceptre or 
ruler's staff before reaching that place. Moses and Joshua, who 
belonged to other tribes, led the people to Shiloh. Besides this, 
no change of royalty occurred when they arrived at Shiloh, as 
the prophecy with this meaning would seem to imply. 

(2) It is widely believed that "Shiloh" in 
Personal ^ame * n * s passage is the name of a person. Some have 
thought, since the names are similar and seem 
to have a common meaning (peace, peace-maker, or prince of 
peace), that Solomon may be meant. The author, however, that 
could have had Solomon in view should have known that there 
occurred no change of .the sceptre in Solomon suited to the im- 
plication in this passage. Many have supposed that Shiloh is a 
name for Christ ; but the following points are unfavorable to 
this view, (a) All the other predictions in this period, even those 
that are Messianic, are indefinite, and do not refer directly and 
personally to the Messiah, (b) Jesus is not elsewhere in the Bible 
called Shiloh. (c) None of the ancient versions of the Old 
Testament present Shiloh as a proper name, (d) A reference 
to an individual so far in advance as in this case would be un- 
natural and abrupt in a father's blessing upon his son. While 
perhaps not one of these objections is decisive against the view 
that Shiloh is a proper name for the Messiah, nevertheless if an- 
other vie*w that seems reasonable will escape these objections, it 
will certainly be preferable. 



The blessing of judah. 79 

"He Whose (3) The Hebrew wording of this passage will 

It Is." readily admit of the following translation: 

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's 
staff from between his feet until he comes whose it is." While 
this refers to a future personage, it does so in an indefinite way 
that better comports with other prophecies of the age to which 
this belongs. With this translation the passage may still be 
Messianic ; and if so, it has the important significance that the 
"Messiah is the One above all others to whom the sceptre of 
Judah and of all Israel belongs. He is the One whose it is by 
an inherent right. In this view it may be asked, What change 
of sceptre occurs in the fulfilment'? It does not pass from the 
tribe of Judah to any other tribe, nor is it lost to Judah ; but it 
passes up to the hand of Him to whom more than all others in 
Judah it belongs. It passes out of human control into the divine 
and from a temporal into a spiritual sphere. 

Moreover, while the Messiah arose from Judah 

Meaning & ^ e does not De l° n & exclusively to that tribe, as 
did most of the kings who held the sceptre in 
Judah, but he belongs to all Israel equally and to all the world. 
In this view Judah held the sceptre as her own until He came 
who was above Judah, universal and divine, and to whom the 
sceptre belonged, not as a gift, but as by personal and natural 
right. This is perhaps the highest sense in which the language 
could be understood. Shall we be content with a lower and less 
important signification? If this be a prophecy at all, which we 
can hardly deny, why should it not be taken at its best ? If God 
was expressing His purpose for the future, why should He not 
express His highest purpose? And if the language is adapted 
to the highest purpose that we know that Jehovah may have en- 
tertained, why should we not interpret His words to cover that 
high intention? It seems reasonable that if God were telling of 
the good that He would give, He might also tell of the greatest 
good that He had to bestow, which was a regnant Lord. 
9. The Blessing of Joseph. Gen. xlix. 22-26. 

Joseph was donbtless a favorite son of Jacob, 

Favoritism 1 and we might naturally expect that the father 
would pronounce upon him the richest of bless- 



SO THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

bags, and in a material sense perhaps he did: but the gift of 
royalty assigned to Judah must be estimated above anything that 
Joseph was to enjoy. Jacob must be exonerated from favor- 
itism, not only on the ground that Judah was not specially loved, 
but also that Benjamin who was held in the tenderest esteem 
by his father receives only an ordinary blessing. Moreover, 
there was good ground for a worthy blessing upon Joseph, see- 
ing that his personal history evinces the most perfect character 
of all the twelve; and it is resonable to believe that this char- 
acter would in some measure be transmitted to his posterity, and 
so make them deserving of better things than many of their 
kinsmen. 

The blessing reads as follows: 

The "Joseph is a fruitful bough, 

Blessing. A fruitful bough by a fountain; 

His branches run over the wall. 

The archers have sorely grieved him, 

And shot at him, and persecuted him; 

But his bow abode in strength, 

And the arms of his hands were made strong,. 

By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. 

(From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),. 

Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee r 

And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee, 

With the blessings of the heaven above, 

Blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath, 

Blessings of the breast, and of the womb. 

The blessings of thy father 

Have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors 

Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; 

They .shall be on the head of Joseph, 

And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from 
his brethren. " 

It is evident that material blessings must 
SSSg 58 of abound in this oracle. Joseph is compared to a 
fruitful bough which luxuriantly grows over a 
wall. The heavens above and the deep beneath are to con- 
tribute their shares to his prosperity under the help of God. It 
seems remarkable, however, that the blessings of Joseph's father 
should be said to prevail above the blessings of his ancestors 
unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; for the blessings 
of Isaae upon Jacob included these now pronounced upon 



THE BLESSING OF JOSEPH. 81 

Joseph and others of very great importance (Gen. 27:28,29). 
Another translation is possible, and seems far more reasonable, 
as follows: "The blessings of thy father have prevailed over 
the blessings of the ancient mountains, the desirable things of 
the everlasting hills," that is, greater than the blessings which 
the mountains and hills produce, such as grain, fruits, cattle, gold, 
silver or precious stones. 

A Special In this blessing the parenthetical statement, 

Version. "From thence is the shepherd, the stone of 

Israel," is most remarkable. Some have understood the Hebrew 
to mean ' ' by the name of the shepherd ' ' instead of ' ' from 
thence is the shepherd." While this is a possible reading of 
the original text, the sense is less satisfactory. "By the name" 
would mean ' ' by the help ' ' of God, who must in this case be the 
"shepherd over the stone of Israel" at Bethel (Gen. 28:18; 
35:14). The whole conception appears to be awkward and 
weak, and is therefore inacceptable if a more reasonable sense 
may be assigned to the language. 

Who the It seems better to translate as in the Revised 

"Shepherd?" English Bible, "From thence is the- shepherd, 
the stone of Israel;" and this means that the arms of Joseph 
were made strong by the hands of the Mighty One, from whom 
comes the shepherd who is also the stone of Israel. It is not 
probable that Joseph is the shepherd, although he fed Israel in 
Egypt; for it is incongruous to refer to Joseph thus in his own 
blessing, and especially when apparently describing the Mighty 
.One. Nor is it possible that the shepherd is Joshua who led 
Israel into the pastures of Canaan, although Joshua was a de- 
scendant of Joseph through Ephraim (Num. 13 :8) ; for here the 
shepherd is from the Mighty One, which was no more true of 
Joshua than of Moses, Samuel, or any other great leader of the 
people. The words better suit the Messiah, who came forth 
from the Mighty One, and became the "good Shepherd" (John 
10:11-16). The Messiah also may be well called "the stone of 
Israel," either in the sense of protector like a great stone in a 
desert, or in the sense of being the permanent, enduring One. 
He is called in 1 Peter 2:6 the "chief corner stone, elect, 



82 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

precious;" but it is not certain that this figure is appropriate 

in so early a prophecy as this. 

It is notable that if we allow a Messianic ref- 
Indefinite ., . /, , . ... , 

Character of erence m this passage, the prophecy still has 

the Prophecy, that indefiniteness which is characteristic of all 
the early Messianic predictions. These proph- 
ecies point forward to a coming One, and hint at some of his 
offices, but do not announce his name. They serve to awaken 
hope in Israel, to record Jehovah's interest in his people and to 
indicate some glorious period when Israel shall be led by One 
who shall come forth from God, and therefore be His direct 
representative. 

SUMMARY. 

The more important features of the proph- 
Prediction. ec * es °^ tne Patriarchal Period may be briefly 
summed up as follows : 

1. The fundamental condition of God's purposes respect- 
ing man and of all divine prophecy is laid in the creation of 
man in the image of his Maker. The natural endowments of 
man, his ability to know God and to understand His character 
and will, and his power of indefinite advancement in point of 
intelligence and usefulness, are indispensable qualifications for 
that high end to which all Hebrew prophecy points mankind. 

2. At first a broad promise is given to the race that it shall 
overcome sin, and so prevail against its first and greatest enemy. 
This victory is to be achieved by a representative of the race 
itself; so that while by humanity the fall occurred, also by hu- 
manity deliverance shall be brought about. 

3. In the blessing of Shem is given the first limitation of the 
divine work to a certain division of humanity; but it is inten- 
sified by the promise that in some sense which the future must 
unfold God is to dwell with the Semitic people. 

•4. In the covenants and promises to Abraham the field of 
God's special work is again restricted to one family, while the 
other nations are left to pursue their own course until they may 
be reached by an overflow of blessing which shall be poured out 
upon the Ahrahamic household. In this prophecy a notable 



SUMMARY OF PATRIARCHAL PERIOD. 83 

method of the divine plan appears in the choice which God 
makes of a ismall portion of the race to serve as His intermedi- 
aries and agents to save the rest. 

5. In the blessing of Judah royalty is conferred upon one 
tribe, so that while the other tribes remain within the circle of 
special blessing, the God-given sceptre is promised to Judah 
alone. This regal power is to remain in this tribe until some 
consummation or tribal destiny shall be reached, when it shall 
pass into the hands of one who shall hold it by right of his own. 

6. From the Mighty One shall come forth a Shepherd, who 
in the eye of prophecy is easily distinguished from all others 
Who might bestow their care upon the Israelitish flock, and who 
at the same time shall be as a stone for permanence or for 
protection. 

7. In many passages the guidance of the chosen people, 
their divinely selected country and their peculiar prosperity, 
without all of which God's purpose could not be accomplished 
through them, are predicted. 

In this first period of prophecy the develop- 
General ment of Jehovah's design to save the world 

the Period. through a select agency and by a divine-human 
leadership makes considerable advancement. It 
is a great beginning, rich with promise, suited to fill the chosen 
people with eager expectation, and well worthy of the great 
events which through long ages shall slowly unfold for the ad- 
miration and blessing of all mankind. 



CHAPTER II. 

MOSAIC PROPHECIES. 

1. Israel's Adoption. Ex. ir. 22, 23; Dent, xxxii. 6-10. 

After the Israelites had heen bond-servants in 
ProDhecv Egypt for many generations, Moses was called 

by Jehovah to go from the wilderness of Sinai 
to Pharaoh and demand a release of the people. Jehovah in- 
structed Moses to speak to Pharaoh these words, "Thus saith 
Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born : and I have said unto 
thee, Let my son go, and he may serve me ; and thou hast refused 
to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born." A 
reflection of this thought appears in the Song of Moses 
(Deut. 32:6, 8,9): 

"Do ye thus requite Jehovah, 

O foolish people and unwise? 

Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? 

He hath made thee and established thee * * * 

When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, 

When he separated the children of men, 

He set bounds of the peoples 

According to the number of the children of Israel. 

For Jehovah's portion is his people; 

Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." 

The From these passages it is evident that Israel 

Meaning. j s Jehovah's son in two senses: First, he is a 

son by creation, and Israel is reminded on this ground that he 
owes obedience and faithful service to the Lord as to a father. 
Secondly, Israel is Jehovah's son by adoption; for when the 
Lord made a separation among the nations in Abraham, he chose 
Israel for the special object of his care. 



ADOPTION OF ISRAEL. . 85 

Messianic The Messianic value of these passages lies 

Value. i n the implied purpose of the adoption. An 

adoption might be a blessing or a curse to a child according as 
the foster-father might have good or evil designs. What the 
designs may be in any case may be hidden from the child and 
from all others, except the father himself. When this is true, 
only the future can reveal how much of weal or woe the adoption 
may mean. Just so in the adoption of Israel ; for in announcing 
this adoption Jehovah does not proclaim His purpose, but leaves 
it to be unfolded to coming generations. The interpreter at the 
present time stands in the position that a person once adopted 
occupies when he has grown old. He is able to look back upon 
all his experiences under the parental care, and is able to esti- 
mate the value of the nurture, admonitions and gifts of the 
foster-father. We may estimate the meaning of this prophetic 
statement only in the light of Israel's discipline and blessing. 
It follows from this that all of the good that God has bestowed 
upon Israel under His especial guidance and care, including the 
Messiah and all Messianic favors, whether for Israel alone or for 
Israel to share with other nations, is comprehended in this an- 
nouncement. 

We thus have here a prophecy, . like many 
Interpretation °' tners °f this Period, germinal and indistinct, 
and yet freighted with promise of incalculable 
benefits. It is no more possible to interpret such an utterance 
wholly in the light of the time and of the circumstances under 
which it may have been uttered, than it is to -determine the value 
of ;i bud on an unknown tree before the bud has opened into 
bloom ;iu(l developed into fruit. If the passage is true at all, it 
is prophetic and may be interpreted only in the light of later 
events. If it couhl be established that the utterance is not at all 
divine, but merely the dream of some human author who wished 
simply to Hatter his people, the case would be otherwise, and the 
meaning wholly different. The method of interpretation, there- 
fore, must turn on the question whether or not Jehovah has 
spoken and also wrought marvelous things through Israel as He 
has not wrought through any other people. 



86 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



Israel's National Character. Ex. xix. 3-6. 



The 
Prediction. 



After the removal of Israel from Egypt and 
their encampment at Mount Sinai, Jehovah told 
Moses to say to Israel : 



' ' Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bare you 
on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye 
will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then shall ye be mine 
own possession from among all peoples; for ail the earth is mine: and ye 
shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." 

These words present the terms of a special covenant between 
God and Israel, which the people on that occasion agreed to fulfil. 
It is certain that the nation did not perform its part of the agree- 
ment : nevertheless, this record of stipulations serves to indicate 
clearly Jehovah's purpose toward Israel, and later history must 
show to what extent lie was able to accomplish His good inten- 
tion. 

(1) It is evident that God took Israel under 
His immediate care, and so made that people His 



"own possession." He gave them his laws, in- 
structed them in the proper methods of worship, and favored 
them with prophetic advice and 'direction, until the coming of 
the Messiah in their midst, which was the most decisive mark of 
His peculiar attention to them. Repeatedly in later prophecies 
the idea that Israel rather than any other nation belongs to God 
is urged upon the people with earnest argumentation. 

(2) Israel is here promised the honor of be- 
of Vriestsf" 01 * 1 eomm S a "kingdom of priests." As a priest 
stands between his people and God, and offers 
sacrifices for himself and the people; so Israel was to stand be- 
tween other nations and God and bring about a sacrifice by which 
all men might secure divine approbation. To a very large ex- 
tent during the history of Israel the nation acted as an inter- 
mediary between Jehovah and heathen peoples. Almost all na- 
tions learned something from Israel concerning law or worship 
or allegiance to Jehovah; and frequently the messages of proph- 
ets, like that of Jonah, were sent directly to the nations. Much 



Balaam's blessings. 87 

more in Christ the priestly work of Israel for all the world is ap- 
parent. Out of the midst of that chosen nation arose the one 
great sacrificial offering by which the sins of the whole world 
might be expiated. 

(3) Israel was also to be a "holy nation." 
Nation '° y '1 'kis means that they were called to a righteous 
life, and set apart to the service of Jehovah. It 
would not be possible for Israel effectively to bring other na- 
tions to serve the one true God unless she engaged devoutly in 
that service herself. Besides this, a wicked and dissolute life 
would disqualify the nation for the priestly office; for vile and 
disreputable priests, like the sons of Eli, could win no acceptance 
with Jehovah nor commend His service to men. But if Jehovah 
calls such a nation to a separate service unto Himself, and re- 
quires that they shall devote their lives to righteousness, it will 
be necessary that He instruct them concerning His will. In this 
way the whole future effort of God to train Israel for holy living 
and acceptable service is implied. All of God's later dealings 
with the nation including His final act of bringing His own Son 
into their midst are foreshadowed in the stipulations of this 
covenant. 

3. Balaam's Blessings. 

A short time before Israel was ready to cross 
Occasion. the J° r d an into Canaan, and after they had de- 

feated the armies of various nations on the east 
of the Jordan, Balak, the king of Moab, was greatly frightened 
lest the Israelites should take away his land as they had taken the 
lands of other kings. Since he was unable to muster an army suf- 
ficiently great to meet the hosts of Israel, and because he feared 
the overwhelming power of Israel's God, he conceived the plan 
of attempting to secure Jehovah's curse upon the Israelites 
through a prophet of Jehovah. But he must engage a prophet 
that had little national sympathy with Israel, and hence he must 
belong to another people. So he sent to Mesopotamia, beyond the 
river Euphrates, to hire Balaam who must have been well known 



THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

;is a prophet of the same God that Israel served; for had he been 
a prophet i ' er divinity, he could have little hope of a 

hearing by Jehovah. Balak sent messengers with gifts to the 

•se the people whom he 
dreaded; but Balaam first consulted Jehovah, and was told not 
to go, and hence refused. When the messengers returned. Balak 
senl a i n to the prophet with greater gifts and 

ies of promotion. Again Balaam consults Jehovah, and is 
told to go, but to speak only what Jehovah should give him. He 
goes fully aware of the fact that he is acting under divine pro- 
test which he seeks to overcome, that he may receive the promised 
rewards. Balaam had probably not been a bad man. otherwise 
it may be presumed that he could not have enjoyed the prophetic 
gift; but now under a very strong temptation he reveals a weak- 

aich under circumstances less critical might have disquali- 
fied him to deliver a divine message, but which for the sake of 
overruling a curse and converting it into a blessing is in this 
instance not permitted to preclude the delivery of an oracle. 

First (1) Before attempting to secure a message. 

Blessing. twice seven offerings are presented to Jehovah on 

seven altars, to obtain in advance the favor of God. Balak and 
his nobles were left standing by the altar while the prophet re- 
tired to a bare height on the mountain to meet the Lord, who 
gave him the following message which be carried back to the king 
ofMoab: 

"From Aram hath Balak brought me, 

The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: 

Come, curse me Jacob, 

And come, defy Israel. 

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed S 

And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah hath not defied? 

For from the top of the rocks I see him, 

And from the hills I behold him: 

Lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, 

And shall not be reckoned among the nations. 

Who can count the dust of Jacob, 

Or number the fourth part of Israel? 

Lei me die the death of the righteous, 

And let my last end be like his!" Num. 23:7-10. 

Three important elements of blessing seem to appear in this 



Balaam's blessings. 89 

passage., (a) Israel is a distinguished people, not to be reckoned 
among other nations, (b) They are to be innumerable, the 
fourth part of them may not be counted, .(e) They are to be 'a 
righteous people, so that one might well wish that the end of his 
life might be as honorable as theirs. These prophecies indefi- 
nitely point forward to a successful and honorable career for 
the nation. Balaam, though a stranger to Israel, utters predic- 
tions remarkbly in keeping with all those that have gone before 
and with all of Israel's later experiences. 

(2) The king was sorely disappointed with 
Blessing: ^ e prediction that his hired prophet had made r 

and thinking that perhaps a full view of Israel's 
Large encampment had influenced the message, he requested 
Balaam to go to another place where he should see only a part of 
the Israelites. After new offerings were made, and the prophet 
had gone aside again to receive his word, he delivered to Balak the 
following : 

"'Eis'e up, Balak, and hear; 
Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: 
God is not a man, that he should lie, 
^Neither the son of man, that he should repent: 
Hath he said," and will he not do it? 
Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good? 
Behold, I have received commandment to bless: 
And he hath blessed, and cannot reverse it. 
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob; 
Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: 
Jehovah his Clod is with him, 
And the shout of a king is among them. 
God bringeth them forth out of Egypt; 
He hath as it were the strength of the wold-ox. 
Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; 
Neither is there any divination with Israel: 
Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel, 
What hath God wrought! 
Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, 
And as a lion doth he lift himself up: 
He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, 
And drink the blood of the slain." Num. 23:18-24. 

This blessing is parallel with that upon Shem in this respect 
that it announces that Jehovah is with Israel; and at the same 



90 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

time it makes an advance by announcing that both royalty and 
Btrength are to belong to this people. Probably the language is 
intended to imply that God is to be their king, and is to supply 
their strength. On this account divination cannot avail anything 
against Israel. 

(3) The deep determination of Balak to 
Blessing evoke a curse upon Israel is shown in a third at- 

tempt by sacrifices and by the prophet's effort to 
secure the favor of God against his enemy. The result is a third 
blessing. 

' ' How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, 

Thy tabernacles, O Israel! 

As valleys are they spread forth, 

As gardens by the river-side, 

As lign-aloes which Jehovah hath planted, 

As cedar-trees beside the waters. 

Water shall flow from his buckets, 

And his seed shall be in many waters^ 

And his king shall be higher than Agag, 

And his kingdom shall be exalted. 

God bringeth him forth out of Egypt; 

He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox: 

He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, 

And shall break their bones in pieces, 

And smite them through with his arrows. 

He couched, he lay down as a lion. 

And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? 

Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, 

And cursed be every one that curseth thee." Num. 24:5-9. 

This utterance clearly foretells two advantages to this people, 
prosperity and victory. The prosperity includes a great increase 
of Israel's population, and consequently a spreading abroad of 
their habitation till their people shall be found in all parts of the 
world. It also includes the exaltation of their king and king- 
dom. Their victories are to consume their adversaries, so that 
it will be a blessing to bless Israel and a curse to curse them. 

(4) The king was very angry with the 
Fourth prophet, because that three times he had blessed 

Israel when he was requested to curse them ; and 
therefore he bids him to flee in haste to his home. Balaam, how- 
ever, pauses long enough, not only to tell the king that he could 



BALAAM'S BLESSINGS. 91 

do nothing else than what Jehovah required, but also to give him 
a fourth oracle concerning these remarkable strangers. Concern- 
ing them he says : 

"Balaam the son of Beor saith, 

And the man whose eye was closed saith; 

He saith, who heareth the words of God, 

And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, 

Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, 

Falling down, and having his eyes open: 

I see him, but not now; 

I behold him, but not nigh. 

There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, 

And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, 

And shall smite through the corners of Moab, 

And break down all the sons of tumult. 

And Edom shall be a possession, 

Seir also shall be a possession, who were his enemies; 

While Israel doeth valiantly. 

And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, 

And shall destroy the remnant from the city." Num. 24:15-19. 

In this statement the prophecy advances farther than in any 
of the preceding utterances of Balaam. The prophet declares 
that his vision relates to the future ; for he says, ' ' I see him, 
but not now; I behold him, but not nigh." The "star out of 
Jacob" most naturally relates to some personage, and the next 
clause that a "sceptre shall rise out of Israel," seems to imply 
that the "star" is to be a royal personage. To him also shall 
victory and conquest be given, so that ' ' out of Jacob shall one 
have dominion." 

Who the Royal Who this comin §' personage may be, is by no 
Personage. means easy to determine. No person of a really 
royal character arose before the beginning of the 
monarchy under Saul, and he was too conspicuous a failure as 
compared with David and others to be regarded in this connec- 
tion. Much more likely the prophetic eye might have rested upon 
David, who by conquest and by a long and successful reign rose 
to a distinction in Israel that might well entitle him to be called 
a "star out of Jacob." He also well fulfilled the prediction 
about smiting Moab: for in 2 Samuel 8:2 it is recorded that 
David smote Moab, and that the Moabites became his servants 
and brought him tribute. Nevertheless, taking into account the 



92 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

glory pf Solomon's reign i od the fact that Moab~vvas smitten by 
other kings of Judah. it does not by any means seem assured that 
David is sufficiently conspicuous in Israel's history to be singled 
a star outshining all others. Many interpreters apply this 
prophecy directly to the Messiah. Assuredly no royal character 
m tlio earlier history of Israel was comparable to the Son of 
Mary; and his conquest and dominion far exceed tho.se of David 
and his royal success 

It is not impossible that in t] ach of 

Dynasty prophetic vision, if we are permitted to widen 

the prophet's horizon to include the Messiah, 
David with all his dynasty embracing the Messiah may have been 
■n as but one glorious personage. In this case the prophecy 
was partially fulfilled in the conquest and sovereignty of David 
and his immediate successors, but found its ultimate and most 
worthy fulfilment in "David's greater Son." The Star of Bethle- 
hem is in every respect the brightest star in Israel's history, and 
the conquest of the world upon which Christianity has entered far 
outclasses the successes of David's sword. If the account of 
Balaam be true, that Jehovah overruled his prophetic efforts and 
delivered the message concerning the future, there remains little 
ground upon which to base a doubt that Jehovah here foretold 
the greatest one whom it was His purpose to raise up from among 
the Israelitish people. 

4. The Covenant of Everlasting Priesthood. Num. xxv. 
12, 13. 

While Israel was still encamped on the borders 
Prediction. °^ ^ oaD > the people were tempted to fall into the 

sins of this heathen nation. What Balak could 
not accomplish through a mercenary prophet, he had opportunity 
to do through allurements to vice. On an occasion of a grievous 
sin in the camp, Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron the high priest, 
seized ;t spear, and put the guilty persons to death. It was a 
heroic deed, and saved Israel in a great moral crisis. In recogni- 
tion of this service Jehovah gave this message to Moses concern- 
ing Phinehas: 



THE PROPHET LIKE MOSES. 93 

"Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: and it shall be 
unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting 
priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement 
lor the children of Israel. ' ' 

At this time .Eleazar, the father of Phinehas, 
was high priest ; and the house of Phinehas held 
that office (Jud. 20 :28) until for some unknown reason it passed 
into the hand of Eli, who was not a descendant of Eleazar, but of 
Eleazar 's brother Ithamar; for Abiathar, who was clearly a de- 
scendant of Eli (1 Ki. 2 :27), had a son, Ahimelech, who is said to 
have been ' ' of the sons of Ithamar " ( 2 Sam. 8 :17 ; I Chr. 24 :3 ) . 
This family of Ithamar was ejected from the priestly office by 
Solomon (1 Ki. 2:27), and the high-priesthood passed again to 
the family of Phinehas in the person of Zadok (1 Ki. 2:35) ; 
and there is no reason to doubt that this family retained the 
office until the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army, 
A. D. 70. In this way the covenant and prophecy concerning 
Phinehas was fulfilled: 

Inasmuch as the Messiah did not descend from 
Bearing 10 tne P r i es tly line, aud did not even belong to the 

tribe of Levi, which included the whole priestly 
order, it may be asked, What place has this prophecy among 
Messianic predictions? "We may answer that it announces a 
long line of priestly work that prepared for the greater priestly 
office of the Christ. The work of the Hebrew priests taught 
the people the principles of sin and sacrifice, the relation of the 
shedding of blood to remission, and the necessity of a priestly 
mediation between man and God. A knowledge of these funda- 
mental matters was essential to an adequate conception of the 
Messianic work for man. While Jesus did not belong to the 
priestly family, he became the one high priest of the Christian 
age. Providentially the Aaronic priesthood passed away in the 
fall of Jerusalem about the time that the priesthood of Christ 
began to be appreciated. Probably the family of Aaron has 
either become extinct or has lost its identity, so that a restoration 
of the old Jewish priesthood will be henceforth impossible; but 
Christ remains forever a priest after the order of Melchizedek. 



94 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

5. The Prophet Like Moses. Deut. xviii 15-19. 

The form of the law with which this utterance 
^e is connected anticipates the conquest of Canaan 

and the danger that the people of Israel will imi- 
tate the abominations of the Canaanites. Especially in this place, 
a warning is given against consulting diviners and other like- 
classes of false prophets. It is in contrast with these diviners, 
that the following promise of a true prophet is made : 

"Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst, 
of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; ac- 
cording to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the- 
day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Je- 
hovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die 
not. And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they 
have spoken. I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren,, 
like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak 
unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass,, 
that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak- 
in my name, I will require it of him." 

This passage implies that Israel felt the need 
Clas? 16 * 10 °^ a P ro P net to mediate between them and 

God, so that they might not be compelled to 
-receive messages directly from the divine hand. The proph- 
ecy appears to promise just what will meet this demand. 
If this be true, there would seem to be some reason for 
understanding the prophecy to mean that Jehovah will raise 
up for Israel a series or class of prophets, who from time to time 
will give to the people the oracles of God, so that they may not 
need to cousult wizards and necromancers to obtain divine coun- 
sel. This view regards the word "prophet" as a generic or class 
noun, like "seed" (Gen. 3:15), or "inhabitant" (Micah 1:13). 
This view seems to be confirmed by the fact that much of the 
earlier prophecies is generic and indefinite, and by the fact that 
the Israelites needed prophetic help after the death of Moses and 
a long line of prophets were raised up to meet that need. 

Other interpreters prefer to regard the word 

Messianic "prophet" as a specific term referring to but 

xnxcrprcttition. m to pi* • 

(inc person, the Messiah. In tavor ot this view 

the following facts are urged: (a) The word "prophet" is not 



THE PROPHET LIKE MOSES. 95 

elsewhere used in a generic sense bearing a collective idea, and 
therefore it is probably not so used here, (b) The prophet is here 
compared to Moses individually, and hence is likely used in an 
individual sense, (c) The New Testament writers often apply 
this prophecy to the Messiah (Acts 3:22, 23; 7:37; possibly also 
John 4:25; 5:45-47; 7:40). These passages make it clear that 
the apostles understood this prophecy to relate to Jesus. 

Others understand that the word "prophet" 
Interpretation * s *° ^ e taken individually, but that it refers to 
any one of the prophets raised up in Old Testa- 
ment times, who was a type of Christ, and that the ultimate ful- 
filment centers in the Messiah himself. This view accords (a) 
with the contrast between the diviners and the promised prophet, 
(b) with the need that the people had for a prophet after the 
death of Moses, (c) with the fact that the word prophet is gener- 
ally used in an individual sense, and (d) with the fact that the 
New Testament writers unhesitatingly apply this prophecy to 
the Messiah. It is true that the apostles of Jesus do not allude 
to the typical character of the earlier prophets ; but it must not 
be overlooked that the typologies set forth in the New Testament 
were among the later writings of the apostles, and that in their 
earlier activities they had occasion to use Old Testament passages 
in their most direct bearing upon their argument with the Jews 
that Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures. 

It is not a valid objection to this view that no 
Answered other prophet than the Messiah was "like 

Moses. " It is true that the other prophets were 
not deliverers of their people, nor notable lawgivers, nor author- 
itative rulers of the nation ; but this prophecy does not neces- 
sarily contemplate a prophet like Moses in all these respects, but 
simply in regard to prophetic labors. Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah and 
many others were like Moses so far as Moses' prophetic office 
extended. In them was fulfilled the promise here made, "I will 
put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak all that I shall 
command him." The same thing was true of Jesus; and we are 
hardly at liberty to refer this scripture to him on account of any 
other offices in which he was like Moses than this one, his pro- 



96 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

phetic authority. It is certain that in this respect, however, he 
is the foremost and highest of all those who succeeded the great 
teacher of the wilderness. 

SUMMARY. 



Particular 
Features. 



In summing up the Messianic features of 
prophecy in the Mosaic period, we may note the 
following as among the most important. 

1. The nation of Israel is adopted by Jehovah, to be brought 
up as His son, and hence to receive a father's care, admonitions 
and guidance, so as to accomplish some end which must be 
worthy of Jehovah, but which only the later history must indi- 
cate. 

2. This nation is to be holy in character and priestly in 
office ; for it is to stand between other nations and God, to offer 
up an acceptable sacrifice for itself and for them. 

3. The nation is to be innumerable ; is to have a king, a 
sceptre, and a star who shall rise out of Jacob; and to enjoy a 
God-given victory over its adversaries. These might be political 
or spiritual favors ; but taken in their broadest reach and highest 
sense on the ground that they are the utterances of Jehovah, we 
may understand both the political and the spiritual blessing to be 
intended. 

4. A priestly family is definitely selected to minister before 
Jehovah perpetually in the midst of Israel, thus setting forth a 
continuous lesson on the relation of sacrifice to sin and the neces- 
sity of the shedding of blood for the remission of sins, so that 
the final and greatest sacrifice for man might be duly appreciated 
when it should be offered. 

5. God will from time to time raise up a prophet with 
whom He will communicate freely as He did with Moses, and he 
shall be vested with authority to advise the people respecting the 
divine will. 

In this pei'iod the national idea is largely de- 
Ide e a enera veloped in the prophecy, doubtless because it 
was the time in which the foundations of the na- 
tion were being laid. It was therefore the most appropriate sea- 



SUMMARY OF MOSAIC PERIOD. 97 

son to use national imagery to express the prophetic thought, and 
it was a suitable time to instruct the people in regard to the im- 
portance of their national character in the purpose of Jehovah. 
It was likewise a tit time to establish a priestly order and to de- 
clare the perpetuity of their work. 



CHAPTER III. 

DAVID1C PROPHECIES. 

Not all of the predictions of this period were 
Authorship. uttered by I)avitl . bnt they begin witn tnat turn _ 

ing point in Israel's history, the birth of Samuel, when the period 
of the judges was hastening to its close, and the monarchy was 
being ushered in. The kingship of David was the objective point 
in the history of this time, and the prophecies uttered by him and 
concerning his family are the leading predictions of this group. 

1. Tin Faifh ful Priesthood. 1 Sam. ii. 35, 36. 

When the sons of Eli the priest had become so 
wicked that their services at the tabernacle were 
an abomination to God and to man, a prophet came to Eli to re- 
buke him for permitting his sons to dishonor the priestly office, 
and to announce to him that the office should be taken from them, 
and that the family should be overtaken by weakness and want. 
After foretelling that Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, 
should both die in one day, the prophet adds : 

"And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according 
to that which is in my heart and in my mind: and I will build him a 
sine house; and be shall walk before mine anointed forever. And it 
shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house shall come 
and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall 
say, I'ul me, 1 pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat 
a morsel of bread." 

It will be remembered that Eli belonged to the 

fnvoWed. house of Ithamar > and not t0 that of Phine- 

has, the son of Eleazar. This prediction is 

therefore in perfect accord with that concerning Phinehas 

which promised that his house should have the priesthood 



THK COVENANT WITH DAVID. 99 

perpetually. The "sure house" clearly means a house that 
would surely retain the priesthood ~ as in contrast with the 
house of Eli which should lose that position. It can hardly be 
doubted that the house of Phinehas which came again into office 
in the person of Zadok (1 Ki. 2 :35) is the object of this prophecy. 
The suggestion that Samuel's family is here meant seems to have 
little support, not only because Samuel did not belong to the 
family of Aaron (1 Chr. vi), but also because his priestly work 
was very limited, if indeed he did not offer sacrifices only by the 
hands of the regular priests to whom he merely gave directions. 
His sons became judges (1 Sam. 8:1), not priests, and we do not 
know that his descendants at any time occupied the priestly 
office. 

It is here predicted that the priest ' ' shall walk 
Messianic. before mine anointed forever;" which seems to 

mean that the prophet already anticipates the 
anointing of kings to rule over Israel, and that the priesthood 
and royalty should continue together indefinitely. It is cer- 
tainly true in the history of the people that so long as -they had 
a king they had also priests, and that from the resumption of the 
priestly office by the house of Phinehas a priest of that house 
was ever available while the monarchy remained. The word 
"forever" probably means indefinitely, or as long as the king- 
dom and priesthood should continue. This word generally means 
"for an age," and its extent depends upon the length of the age. 
If the age be endless, the word signifies an eternal duration. This 
prophecy is Messianic only in the same sense in which the former 
prophecy concerning Phinehas points to a preparation for the 
greater Messianic priesthood. 

2. The Covenant with David. 2 Sam. vii. 11-16 ; xxiii. 1-7 ; 
J Chr. ./•/•//. 10-14. 

It was a time in David's reign when there 

Stated* 11 came a period of rest from his early wars with 

surrounding nations, that David thought that 

since he had built a costly home for himself, he ought also to 

I mi l<l a house for Jehovah. A message came to the prophet 



100 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Nathan for David reviewing his call from obscurity to be king 
of Israel and the help that he had received from Jehovah by which 
he had been successful in war, and promising that he should have 
a great name and that his people should be permanently planted 
in their place ; and then is added the following notable predic- 
tion : 

"Moreover Jehovah telleth thee .thai Jehovah will make thee a 
house. When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy 
fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy 
bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for 
my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I 
will be his father and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I 
will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the chil- 
dren of men; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I 
took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thy house and 
thy kingdom shall be made sure forever before thee: thy throne 6hall be 
established forever." 

David is here informed that Jehovah will make 
^House g ' '° nmi a nouse ; an d clearly the house that is to be 
made for David is here placed in antithesis to 
the house that David thought to build for Jehovah. Usually 
such an antithesis would indicate that the houses were of like 
character; but since Jehovah was certainly not promising to 
erect a material building for David, but David was planning to 
construct a material house for Jehovah, the houses must be differ- 
ent in kind. The later statements, "I will set up thy seed after 
thee * * * and I will establish his kingdom;" and "thy house 
and thy kingdom shall be made sure forever before thee," indi- 
cate that David's house which Jehovah was to make sure was his 
family as perpetual heirs of royalty. If this be correct, the word 
"seed" must include more than one descendant of David: and 
this is confirmed by the prediction, "He shall build a house for 
my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." 
It is certain that Solomon built the temple to the name of Je- 
hovah, and it is most reasonable that these words are uttered in 
anticipation of that event. That the "seed" does not refer im- 
mediately and only to the Messiah is clear from the added pre- 
diction, "If he conmiit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod 
of men." These words would not be spoken if no other than the 
Messiah were in mind. 



THE COVENANT WITH DAVID. 101 

Jehovah is also to establish the throne of 
"Throne " David's kingdom forever, which seems to include 
the Messianic kingdom, for the political kingdom 
of David came to an inglorious end. This is confirmed by the 
fact that both the house and the kingdom were to be made sure, 
and only in Christ have the two been perpetuated. It is notable 
that throughout the prophecy every reference to the "seed" or 
future king is put in the singular number, while in history one 
king succeeded another through a long line, and the Messiah was 
the last of David's descendants that attained to royalty. While 
the singular number might be used for vividness, it may be far 
more significant. Each individual king that sat upon the throne 
of David may be regarded as fulfilling the prediction in part. 
and each one at the same time was a type of the Messiah, in whom 
at last the ultimate and complete fulfilment rests. The throne of 
Christ therefore is but a continuation and exaltation of the 
throne of David. Since the Messiah was to partake of our hu- 
manity in his nature, it was most appropriate that he should par- 
take also of the most worthy of human offices and relations. His 
union with the race is closer, his fellowship with us is more inti- 
mate, and in him our race rises to greater dignity, by his exalting 
the throne of David so that it becomes the throne of His own 
infinite glory. 

There is likewise an appropriateness in the use 
e on " of the word ' ' son, ' ' which is to be applied first to 
Solomon and his successors to whom God granted His fatherly 
care, mercy and guidance ; but is to be applied last of all to the 
Messiah who is the incarnate, but none the less real, Son of God. 
Thus sonship rises from the human to that combination of hu- 
manity and divinity that has been presented to us in the Savior 
of the world. Here again he carries up our humanity into the 
higher realm of his own glorious person. 

The statement in this prophecy, "My mercy 
Me e rcieg u , r , e shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, 

whom I put away before thee,'-' is a promise that 
the family of David should not lose its title to the throne, but that 
so long as there should be royalty in Israel it should belong to 
David's house. In this sense in Inter prophecy the expression, 



102 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

"the sure mercies of David." is used I [sa. 55:3) ; and in Acts 
13:34, Paul refers to the resurrection of Christ, and quotes in 
confirmation of it. **I will give you the holy and sure mercies of 
David."* These scriptures imply that the promises made to 
David through Nathan at this time were unconditional, and 
therefore certain of fulfilment. If any descendant of David on 
the throne should prove disobedient, Jehovah would punish him, 
hut the family was not to lose its royalty. It is true historically 
that from the beginning of the Babylonian Exile to the coming 
of Christ the house of David did not exercise sovereignty; but 
the family remained heirs of the throne during that interval, and 
they were ready at any time when the conditions of the Jews 
should be favorable to resume their royal functions. Unfortu- 
nately the moral condition of the Jews did not justify the honor 
which they would have enjoyed in the return of David's descen- 
dants to kingly power. It was reserved for the Messiah com- 
pletely to fulfil the promise concerning the established throne 
and the everlasting kingdom. 

This prophecy is an advance upon those which 

New Prophetic have gone before in at least three points. (1) 

Elements. The Messianic king and throne which had already 

been promised to Judah in his father's blessing, 

are now limited to one family in the tribe of Judah. the family 

of David; and this limitation is to be perpetual. (2) The royal 

family is to build a temple to the name of Jehovah: and this may 

primarily refer to Solomon's temple, and yet ultimately to that 

greater temple to he founded by the last and greatest Davidic 

ruler, the church of Christ. (3) In the words. "He shall be my 

son," the sonship in Israel, while not removed from the nation. 

is emphasized and centered in the family of David to rest finally 

upon him whose throne is established forever. 

3. Tin Messianic King <m<l Priest. Psalm ex. 

"Jehovah Baith unto my lord, 

sit thou ;it my right hand, 

Until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 

Jehovah will scud forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: 

Kule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 

Thy people offer themselves willingly 



THE MESSIANIC KING AND PKIEST. 103 

In the day of thy power, in holy array: 
Out of the womb of the morning 
Thou hast the dew of thy youth. 

"Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: 

Thou are a priest forever 

After the order of Melehizedek. 

The Lord at thy right hand 

Will strike through kings in the day of his wrath. 

He will judge among the nations, 

He will fill the places with dead bodies; 

He will strike through the head in many countries. 

He will drink of the brook in the way: 

Therefore will he lift up the head. ' ' 

Meaning of The meaning of the expression "my Lord" is 

"My Lord." held in some doubt among biblical scholars. An 
interpretation is clearly suggested by the Savior in Matt. 22 :41- 
45, "Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus 
asked them a question, saying, What think ye of the Christ? 
whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He 
saith unco them, How then doth David in the Spirit call him 
Lord, saying : The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right 
hand, till I put thine enemies under thy feet? If David 
then calleth him Lord, how is he his son?" Jesus seems 
to argue here on the assumption that David wrote the 110th 
Psalm, and that David represents Jehovah as addressing David's 
lord the Messiah. Since the Pharisees disputed Jesus' claim to 
be divine and held that the Messiah was to-be strictly human, 
Jesus points them to the fact that David calls the Messiah "my 
Lord," although the Messiah was to be David's son; and as, ae- 
cording to Jewish ideas, a human son cannot be counted greater 
than his father, as the word "lord" implies, the Messiah must be 
more than human. The Pharisees were wholly unable to answer 
this argument, for it was clear to them that a father could not 
reasonably call his son "lord" if that son were simply human. 
Now if we were certain that David wrote this Psalm, the interpre- 
tation would be assured; but many modern scholars insist that 
while the Psalm may have beeu written in David's day, he him- 
self was not its author* Most of them assume that some prophet 

*On the Davidic authorship of this Psalm, see the present writer's 
article in the New Christian Quarterly, Jan. 1894 (Christian Pub. Co., 



104 THE .MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

prepared the Psalm and applied the expression "my lord" to 
David, and thai the word "my" refers to the prophet himself. 
In this view "my lord" can be Messianic only by understanding 
that David as the head of the Messianic line of descent represents 
the Messiah in the prophet's mind. The argument of Jesus 
would not then be strictly sound, but would be sufficient to si- 
lence the Pharisees. It would be an ad hominem argument, be- 
ing based on the Jews' false ideas of the authorship of this 
Psalm. 

The writer represents Jehovah as addressing 
Royalty ^ ns "l° r< l," an d seating him in the highest place 

of honor known to the writer, at the right hand 
of Jehovah. His enemies are to be subjected till they shall lie 
at his feet. Zion shall be the seat of his royal power, and he 
shall have a broad dominion. His soldiers shall not be mustered 
under compulsion, but shall volunteer their services, and form a 
holy array. In the beauty of their martial uniform they shall 
be as the dewdrops fresh from the womb of the morning. While 
all these conditions of royalty might be true of David, under- 
standing that David's throne was honored as if it were at Je- 
hovah's right hand, yet they are true in a higher sense of the 
Messiah, since his exaltation is really at the right hand of God, 
and his army composed really of holy volunteers clad in the 
beautiful garments of righteousness. 

The statement "Thou art a priest forever after 

The 

Priesthood. tne or & ev °f Melchizedek," was certainly inap- 
propriate if addressed to David; for, although 
David at one time wore an ephod (2 Sam. 6 :14), and he also took 
a deep interest in the sacerdotal office, yet he himself was not a 
priest, did not assume priestly functions, nor did he even stand 
in a priestly relation toward Israel. The words cannot be prop- 
erly applied to any of the regular priests in David's time, since 
they belong In the order of Aaron and not to the order of Melchi- 
zedek. In fact, the letter to the Hebrews (7:1-17) explains to 
us that the order of Melchizedek does not mean a line of priestly 

St. Louis, Mu.), which reviews at length the argument of S. R. Driver 
in hie tut rod. to the O. T. Literature. 



THE MESSIANIC KING AND PRIEST. 105 

-descent, but a priest disconnected from a priestly father or 
mother and from priestly descendants. In whatever sense Dav- 
id's royalty can be regarded as sacerdotal, the royalty of his suc- 
cessors may be so regarded. This fact disqualifies David and suc- 
ceeding kings from being priests after the manner of Melchizedek. 
The priestly work of Christ in offering up the world's supreme 
sacrifice, the value and efficacy of which are final and eternal, 
presents to us the only proper fulfilment of this prophecy. If 
it could be shown even that David ever performed a priestly rite, 
his priesthood could not be regarded as eternal; and there is no 
known reason that is satisfactory for such a promise to David, 
seeing that any prophet would be deterred by every natural con- 
sideration from thinking of an everlasting priesthood for one 
who had no right to the priestly office (cf. II. Chr. 26:20), and 
who could not be reasonably supposed to live forever. It com- 
ports only with the divine purpose to save the world by the sac- 
rifice of Christ to understand this prophecy to be directly Mes- 
sianic and to be the first hint in prophecy that ultimately the 
royal and priestly offices were to be united in one person. 

The remainder of the Psalm describes the vic- 
Victories tories of the warrior priest-king among the na- 

tions of the earth. He will overcome his enemies 
in many lands, and will refresh himself as one drinking from a 
brook by the wayside when his conquests are ended. If the pas- 
sage is Messianic, all this presents a beautiful martial picture 
•of the victorious progress of Christian truth in all parts of the 
•earth, and the fall of heathen powers before the growing domin- 
ion of the Messiah. 

It can hardly be doubted that this Psalm is 
Why Regarded Messianic, (a) The style points to an extraor- 
Messianic. dinary fulfilment; for it has a brevity and dig- 

nity that could hardly characterise a prophet's 
panegyric addressed to his sovereign, (b) No other person 
than the Messiah has filled the position as priest here promised; 
for neither Jonathan (1 Mac. 10:21), nor Alexander Jannaeus, 
nor Simon (1 Mac. 14:4), who have been mentioned by some 
scholars, can be regarded as after the order of Melchizedek, 
belonging to the Aaronic order, although they may have combined 



106 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

the office of priest with positions of civil authority, (c) Je- 
hovah"* oath concerning the priesthood in which He would not 
repent, forbids an interpreter to expect a common fulfilment; 
but, on the contrary, it points to some very notable and import- 
ant event in the divine purpose, just such as the Messianic priest- 
hood presents. It should be noted that the oaths of Jehovah are 
very rare, and relate to matters most vital to the interests of the 
race. ( d) The bold style, warlike figures, the title of the Psalm, 
a comparison of its thought and expression with acknowledged 
Davidic Psalms, and the New Testament reference, all suggest 
that David is the author of this Psalm, and hence that "my 
lord" refers to the Messiah, (e) No other person than Jesus satis- 
factorily fulfils this prophecy, and in no other do such profound 
expressions of the divine purpose center, just as we should ex- 
pect them to be concentrated on the Messiah. On the other hand, 
it must be acknowledged that the form of this prophecy is more 
direct than others; and it is wholly lacking in the typical ele- 
ments which are usual in leading Messianic passages. 
4. The Son of Jehovah Enthroned. Psalm ii. 

• • Why do the nations rage, 

And the peoples meditate a vain thing? 

The kings of the earth set themselves, 

And the rulers take counsel together, 

Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, saving, 

Let us break their bonds asunder. 

And cast away their cords from us. 

He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh; 

The Lord will have them in derision. 

Then will he speak unto them in his wrath, 

And vex them in his sore displeasure: 

Yet have I set my king 

Upon my holy hill of Zion. 

I will tell of the decree: 

Jehovah said unto me. Thou art my son; 

This day have 1 begotten thee. , 

Ask of me and 1 will give thee the nations tor thine inheritance, 
An.l the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 

Thou shall break them with a rod of iron; 

Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 

Now therefore be wise, <> ye kings: 
Be inst ructed, ye judges of the earth. 



THE SON OF JEHOVAH ENTHRONED. 107 

Serve Jehovah with fear, 

And rejoice with trembling. ^r7 r : 

Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, 

For his wrath will soon be kindJed: 

Blessed are all they that take refuge in him." 

' This Psalm is artistically arranged in stanzas 
Al Staophes nt ^ or str °P hes - d) The first strophe represents 
the nations of the earth in a vain excitement, tak- 
ing counsel among themselves with the intent to break off Je- 
hovah's bonds of authority by which they were held, and so de- 
spise the dominion of Jehovah's newly anointed king. (2) The 
second strophe describes a scene in heaven, in which Jehovah 
laughs at the folly of rebellious nations, decides to vex them in 
His displeasure, and determines to establish His king in Zion. 
(3) The third strophe represents the future king publishing* 
the secret decree of Jehovah concerning himself, that he is Je- 
hovah 's son, that the rebellious nations are to be his inheritance, 
and that he shall completely break down their opposition. (4) 
The fourth strophe is the poet's advice to these preverse kings 
to serve Jehovah reverently and to greet the Son in recognition 
of his authority. Thus dramatically the purpose of Jehovah 
to establish the Davidic king as His own son and to give him 
universal dominion is presented in this prophetic Psalm. 

The most important question concerning this 
Naturalistic scripture is, Who is the "anointed?" Scholars 
"Anointed." have offered a variety of answers. (1) The 
naturalistic view is, that David is this personage, 
and that the anointing was done by Samuel (1 Sam. 16:13), 
and by the men of Judah (2 Sam. 2:4), and that the victories 
over the nations refer to the successes of David in battle against 
the Philistines (2 Sam. v), the Syrians and Ammonites (2 Sam. 
viii or x). David had just lately' been made king of Israel, and 
had removed to Jerusalem not long before these successes. The 
nations, however, before these victories, were not yet under 
"bonds" and "cords" to Jehovah, as they were from David's 
lime on ; hut while they may have Later rebelled and broken away, 
the claim of D.-ivid's sovereignty over them may have remained. 
At least, when once they had become subject to Jehovah's rule 



108 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

through the Davidic family, they should have continued to honor 
thf divinely appointed government. On this account, the proph- 
ecy seems to relate to some ruler later than David. Some 
have suggested Absalom's rebellion against his father David as 
a fulfilment of the plot here described ; but this does not fairly 
represent the "kings of the earth" mentioned in the Psalm. 
Neither can Solomon be the "anointed," for he enjoyed a reign 
of peace. No king in Judah later than Solomon rises to such a 
dignity as appropriately to fulfil a prophecy of so majestic a 
character. 

(2) The typical view of this Psalm holds 
ypica lew. ^^ ^ T fa n g f judah ma y De regarded as the 

"anointed," and that such a king is a type of Christ, who is 
the ultimate fulfilment. Against this may be urged the improb- 
ability that any king of Judah attained to so dignified a position 
as to fulfil these predictions in any creditable way. It was not 
true of any king of Judah that he received the nations of the 
earth for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of it as his 
possession. In this respect the Messiah had no adequate type. 
Poetical View ^ The poetical view maintains that no par- 
ticular event fulfils the prophecy, but that in 
general the opposition of the nations of the earth to the kings 
which Jehovah established in Zion is meant. This might in- 
clude the antagonism of all heathen peoples to the Messianic 
kingdom. Against this stands the impropriety of ascribing di- 
vine sonship so generally, even in poetry; and the words, "this 
day have I begotten thee, ' ' are left without any natural sig- 
nificance. 

(4) The directly Messianic view of this 
Messianic View. P salm applies the "anointed" immediately to 
Christ, and to Him alone. This view is sup- 
ported by the following considerations: (a) This will best suit 
the very exalted and peculiar language used in the Psalm, and 
especially that relating to the solemn decree of God. (b) This 
view also suits the following facts: that when Christ was 
crowned lie rightly claimed dominion over all the world, which 
corresponds 1<» the "bonds" and "cords;" that Zion was the 
earthly seat of the Messiah's kingdom; that Jesus was the real 



THE SON OF JEHOVAH ENTHRONED. 109 

son of Jehovah as no other person was ; that he was also begotten 
from the grave (Acts 13:33; cf. Rom. 1:4; Col. 1:18) ; that he 
only is a priest forever and independent of a priestly family in 
the same manner as Melchizedek ; that the nations are called upon 
to give him reverence; and that those who place their trust in 
him are blest, (c) The persecution of the apostles soon after 
the Messiah's coronation and the beginning of the church was a 
commencement of that opposition and adverse counsel by the 
enemies of Christ in which all nations have had some part, and 
which is here foretold in the rage of the heathen and the counsel 
taken- by kings and rulers (cf. Acts 4:25-27). (d) Jewish in- 
terpreters understood this Psalm to refer directly to the Messiah, 
and did not abandon the view until under the pressure of Chris- 
tian argument they were compelled either to forego this interpre- 
tation or accept Jesus as the Messiah; for they did not regard 
any of their kings as worthy of the honors which this Psalm 
describes. 

The leading Messianic ideas in this prophecy 
MSsfaSfc Ideas. are the following: (1) Jehovah appoints a 
king to rule over his people. This is Messianic, 
not because it necessarily refers directly to the Christ, but be- 
cause the very fact that a king is appointed by Jehovah implies 
His interest in humanity and a great effort by Him to accom- 
plish man 's blessing. Such a step on the part of God cannot have 
a significance of less importance than some great purpose to 
secure good to humanity; and it is this implied purpose that is 
especially Messianic. (2) This king is to be a newly begotten 
son of Jehovah. Whether this be taken as referring directly to 
the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus or not, it must signify 
a very near and vital relation of the appointed king to God; 
and this relation must be based upon some exalted purpose in 
Jehovah's mind. This sacred relation implies Jehovah's deep 
interest in the person of the king, and consequently in all of his 
dominion, which again points to the Messianic blessing of the 
race. (3) The appointed king is to have universal dominion, 
which implies that God's interest is not limited to any one nation 
or class, but is designed to secure world-wide benefits. (4) The 
king will completely overcome his enemies. This fact discloses 



110 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

the purpose of Jehovah to break down all opposition to the ap- 
pointed king and also to Himself; and this signifies the complete 
subversion of evil and its baleful influence among men. Such 
a purpose is highly Messianic and very far-reaching in time and 
effect, i 5 ) The subjects of the king shall enjoy his blessing. 
This completes the Messianic purpose already noticed. Jehovah 
contemplates a king that shall be very dear to His own heart, 
who shall -secure dominion over all mankind, who shall extir- 
pate all evil and evil doers from his realm, and shall effect the 
happiness and prosperity of all his loyal subjects. 

This is perhaps an ideal picture, but it is a 
Rev^ew aikable most remarka1)le ancl perfect representation of 
that world-wide intention of God which is more 
completely developed as respects principles and plans in the New 
Testament. It is a wonderful accomplishment for any writer, no 
matter whether he lived in the days of David or some later time, 
that he should accurately sketch centuries in advance of de- 
velopments an outline of the purposes which to this day Jeho- 
vah is working out among the children of men. Could such a 
preview- have occurred to the mind of any person without super- 
natural assistance ? To this may be added the suggestion that 
it is even more notable that in all these prophetic sections we 
should find just such premonitions of the most important events 
and principles of the divine government among men, and in no 
case a representation or characteristic that is untrue to that 
which has been or is being wrought out in the Christian insti- 
tution. 

5. Tin Messianic Reign. Psalm Ixxii. 1-17. 

"Give the king thy judgments, O God, 

And thy righteousness unto the king's son. 

He wili judge thy people with righteousness, 

And thy poor with justice. 

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, 

And the hills, in righteousness. 

He will judge the poor of the people, 

He will save the children of the needy, 

And will break in pieces the oppressor. 

They shall fear thee while the sun endureth, 

Ami so long as the moon, throughout all generations. 



THE MESSIANIC REIGN. Ill 

He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, 

As showers that water the earth. 

In his days shall the righteous flourish, 

And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more. 

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, 

And from the River unto the ends of the earth. 

They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; 

And his enemies shall lick the dust. 

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute: 

The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 

Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; 

All nations shall serve him. 

For he will deliver the needy when he crieth, 

And the poor, that hath no helper. 

He will have pity on the poor and needy, 

And the souls of tne needy he will save. 

He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence; 

And precious will their blood be in his sight: 

And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba, 

And men shall pray for him continually; 

They shall bless him all the day long. 

There shall be abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the 

mountains; 
The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: 
And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 
His name shall endure forever; 
His name shall be continued as long as the sun: 
And men shall be blessed in him; 
All nations shall call him happy." 

This Psalm pictures an ideal king of Jehovah's 
Ideal King people. He is not "the king," as if some defi- 
nite person were meant ; but in the original He- 
brew it is "a king," not in the sense of "any king," but rather 
that sense which gives the writer unrestricted freedom in his 
description of an ideal ruler. Such an ideal king will enjoy the 
assistance of God in judging his people, so that all his decisions 
may be just and righteous. Like God who cares for all His crea- 
tures, such a king will carefully regard the interests of the poor 
and the oppressed. Men will show him reverence, and his right- 
eousness and dominion will be greatly extended. His country 
will be filled with abundance of blessing, both moral and ma- 
terial. 



112 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



The poetic element in the description of such 

a 
Element. 



a king must not be overlooked in its interpreta- 



tion. The poet foresees a dominion for his ruler 
that shall extend from the River Euphrates, the greatest inter- 
ior river known in the poet's time, to the most distant lands; but 
this may not be any indication that the Euphrates will be in any 
sense a central figure in his dominion, but rather it is a part of 
the poetic picture of universal territory. Likewise such expres- 
sions as "while the sun endureth," "till the moon be no more," 
and "all day long," are poetic terms for unlimited dura- 
tion. The references to the kings of Tarshish, Sheba and Seba 
bringing their gifts to the king are also poetic forms to convey 
the idea of universal influence among the nations of the earth; 
for the mention of kings of the most distant lands as paying 
tribute implies that the rulers of other lands will also show 
homage. 

The Messianic features in this Psalm are the 
relies following: (1) The Psalmist describes a just 

and righteous king, who cares alike for the poor 
and the rich, the oppressed and needy as well as those in honor 
and comfort. (2) This king shall have universal dominion. 
(3) His reign of peace shall endure forever. (4) He will 
redeem his people, and their souls shall be precious in his sight. 
(5) His reign will be marked by a notable prosperity, in the 
blessings of which all nations of men shall share. It is evident 
that no earthly king of Israel fulfilled the prophecy which this 
poetical picture presents. The universal extent of dominion and 
the unlimited duration of his reign were wholly beyond the 
reach of any temporal monarch. At the very least, the poet is 
voicing the world's need of a ruler greater than any human king 
can be. His character should be more divine, his power more 
complete, and his period of rule more unrestricted, than is pos- 
sible for any ruler of this world. No other than the Messiah 
could possibly realize this dream of royal excellence. It is a 
poetical conception of what only the Messiah could become ; and 
hence it is richly and assuredly Messianic. 



THE MARRIAGE OF THE MESSIANIC KING. 113 

6. The Marriage of the Messianic King. Psalm xlv. 



"My heart overflowetli with a goodly matter; 

I speak the things which I have made touching the king: 

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 

Thou art fairer than the children of men; 

Grace is poured into thy lips: 

Therefore God hath blessed thee forever. 



Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty one, 

Thy glory and thy majesty. 

And in thy majesty ride on prosperously, 

Because of truth and meekness and righteousness: 

And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. 

Thine arrows are sharp; 

The peoples fall under thee; 

They are in the heart of the king's enemies. 

Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: 

A scepter of equity is the scepter of thy kingdom. 

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness 1 . 

Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee 

With the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 

All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia; 

Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad. 

Kings' daughters are among thy honorable women: 

At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir. 

Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear: 

Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house: 

So will the king desire thy beauty; 

For he is thy lord; and reverence thou him. 

And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; 

The rich among the people shall entreat thy favor. 

The king's daughter within the palace is all glorious: 

Her clothing is inwrought with gold. 

She shall be led unto the king in broidered work: 

The virgins her companions that follow her 

Shall be brought unto thee. 

With gladness and rejoicing shall they be led: 

They shall enter into the king's palace. 

Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, 

Whom thou snalt make princes in all the earth. 

T will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: 

Therefore shall the peoples give thee thanks forever and ever. 



214 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Occasion of The Psalm clearly represents the marriage of 

the Psalm. a king that enjoys the especial blessing of God, 

and celebrates the majesty of the- royal bridegroom and bride. 
It is natural to assume that it was composed on the occasion of 
the marriage of one of the- kings of the Davidic dynasty, but it 
is by no means easy to determine which of these kings it might 
be. ' Many scholars have supposed that it was Solomon in mar- 
riage with the family of Hiram of Tyre, because "the daughter 
of Tyre shall be there with a gift;" but we have no account of 
such' a marriage. We have mention of Solomon's taking Pha- 
raoh's daughter (1 Ki. 3:1) ; but it is hard to believe that Tyre 
would send a gift on that occasion. Moreover this king is a war- 
rior who^ -'arrows are sharp" and under whom "the peoples 
fall." and this does not suit the peaceful reign of Solomon. 
Delitzsch and others hold that this king is Joram, and that this 
Psalm refers to his marriage with Athaliah, the daughter of 
Ahab and grand-daughter of the king of the Sidonians (2 Chr. 
21:6; 1 Ki. 16:31) ; against which may be urged the serious ob- 
jection that the wickedness of Joram does not comport with the 
statement of this Psalm, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and 
hated wickedness." If this Psalm was written in the honor of 
Joram, even at the beginning of his reign when the author may 
not have known how wicked his government would be, the hymn 
must have seemed ever afterwards most incongruous, unduly 
complimentary, and unprophetic. It is indeed very difficult, if 
not impossible, to identify the occasion on which this Psalm was 
produced. Probably no efforts of scholarship will be able to 
solve the problem. Our historical records mention very few of 
the marriages of the Davidic kings; but it is safe to assert that if 
all the marriages had been recorded, neither Solomon's nor 
Joram 's would now be selected. 

If the Psalm was written to celebrate the mar- 
The King as Y - lSi „ e of one of the kings of Judah, avc must un- 
Da^£c°Promise. derstand either that, the author indulged in ful- 
some flattery, or that he regarded the king as the 
heir and representative of the Messianic royalty. Only the lat- 
ter view seems to accord with the dignity and devoutness of 



THE MARRIAGE OF THE MESSIANIC KING. 115 

this production. The writer must have been guided by the prom- 
ise of Jehovah to David (2 Sam. 7:12-16), and remembered that 
while the king might be chastised for his iniquities, and therefore 
might not be worthy in his own person of all that God had prom- 
ised, he was nevertheless in the lineage of extraordinary blessings. 
Since the Psalmist regarded -these future honors as belonging 
to the Davidic line, he may have felt free to invest any person of 
that lineage with these glories as a part of his heritage. In this 
case the Psalm is Messianic, as a reproduction of the earlier Mes- 
sianic promise, and yet not necessarily designed by the writer 
to rest solely in the reigning king, or to ascribe to him typically 
honors which must belong to some descendant. 

If, however, the Psalm was written for some 
The King as king living in the day of the author, and it be 
Christ. understood typically, then congruity would 

suggest that he should have had a character 
that corresponds within natural limitations to that ascribed in 
the Psalm. This would require that he should be fair and grace- 
ful, a successful warrior, a righteous ruler and one for whom his 
people should be forever grateful. Only with this character 
would he become to the purposes of this Psalm a type of the 
Messiah. It may be true that merely as a king, as a descendant 
of David, and as the anointed of Jehovah he typified Christ; 
but it is to be noted that these are not the emphatic features 
< I' this Psalm, and hence not the natural points of its typology. 

The language of the Psalm is expressive of 
Exalted a character which an ordinary king could not be 

Character of if a j i 

the King. expected to possess, the person here addressed 

is called "fairer than the children of men;" 
he is one whom ' ' God hath blessed forever ; " to him is addressed 
the very remarkable words, "Thy throne, God, is forever and 
ever;" and, "Thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of glad- 
ness above thy fellows;" and to him it is said, "The peoples shall 
give thee thanks forever and ever." To him also it is said, 
"Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou shalt 
make princes in all the earth." It is evident that these expres- 
sions cannot reasonably apply to any of the Davidic kings. 



116 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Remembering the important fact that the 
Three writer manifests his knowledge of Jehovah s 

views - promise to David, the interpreter of this Psalm 

appears to have choice of three views of its meaning: either (1) 
that the king here addressed is one of the Davidic line, and re- 
serves these ascriptions of honor because he is m the line of in- 
heritance of the divine promises to David; or (2)_ that some Da- 
vldlc "ing is here addressed as a type of ^^thT^Z 
are paid him in view of that typical relation; 01 (3) that the 
Psalm is written independently of the king who may have been 
rdgnLg at the time of composition, and that ^ is addressed 
directly to the Messiah, and celebrates the union of Christ with 
his church. 

While the last view does not furnish to our 
Third View thought a historical occasion for the production 
Discussed. of g * ch ft hyAnj ^^ it be apposed that the 

poet took suggestion from some royal marriage without address- 
ing the king present at the time, yet it well accounts for all 
those expressions which would be extravagant if applied merely 
to a temporal king. It is certainly true in the most literal sense 
that only the Messiah in all the lineage of David is fairer than 
the children of men," that "his throne is forever and ever, 
and that he has been anointed "with the oil of gladness above 
his fellows." While it is true that judges as representatives ot 
God in the administration of God's law were sometimes called 
eods (Ps 82 -1, 6 ; Jn. 10 M, 35) , nevertheless the title is applied 
to the judges in a tone of reproach, and not in an air of majestic 
solemnity. It is also clear that no other rulers so highly and 
literally deserve this title as he that came forth from the Father. 
It is not surprising, therefore, that the writer of Hebrews (1: 
8 9) quotes this passage and applies it directly to our risen and 
exalted Lord. In any view that may be taken, this Psalm ap- 
pears to have a depth, reach and richness of meaning unmerited 
by any ruler in Israel until Jehovah sent him, who being the 
effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance 
and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had 
made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the 



DELIVERANCE BY JEHOVAH. 117 

Majesty on high; having become by so much better than the 
angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they. ' ' 

7. Deliverance by Jehovah. Psalm xviii. 43-50. 

The occasion of this Psalm, as indicated by the 
title, was when David had escaped from the 
hands of Saul when his life had been in great peril. In all his 
battles he had been victorious; and his confidence in God had 
always been firm, and had never been disappointed. He now 
composes a very beautiful ascription of praise, and describes 
Jehovah's coming in great majesty to discomfit David's enemies 
and to deliver him from death. The Psalm must have been writ- 
ten in the earlier part of David's reign, if not before he came to 
the throne ; for his great sin had not yet been committed, as is 
clear from the words, "I was also perfect with him, and I kept 
myself from mine iniquity." He seems to be anticipating his 
reign at the time of writing ; for he says, ' ' As soon as they hear 
of me they shall obey me." 

The Messianic The leading Messianic features of the Psalm 
Passage. ma y De found in the following lines : 

''Thou hast' delivered me from the strivings of the people; 

Thou hast made me the head of the nations: 

A people whom I have not known shall serve me. 

As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. 

The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me. 

The foreigners shall fade away, 

And shall come trembling out of their close places. 

Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; 

And exalted be the God of my salvation, 

Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, 

Ami subdueth peoples under me. 

lie rescuetb me from mine enemies; 

Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; 

Thou ildiverest me from the violent man. 

Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations, 

And will sing praises unto thy name. 

Great deliverance giveth he to his king, 

And showcth lovingkindness to his anointed, 

To David and Ids seed for evermore." Cf. 2 Sam. 22:44-51. 



118 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Messianic The chief Messianic elements in this passage 

Elements. are: (1) God may be relied upon to deliver the 

righteous out of the power of evil. David regards himself as 
upright and devout, and hence has confidence that he cannot he 
ultimately forsaken to his enemies who have not so noble a char- 
acter. This truth has universal application, and underlies the 
whole divine effort to rescue man from the power of sin and the 
hands of Satan. (2) The work which Jehovah is here expected 
to do for David as kino- fc ideal, more than David himself could 
realize, and what has been performed only for the Messianic 
king ' (3) The words of the forty-ninth verse of the Psalm 
are quoted by Paul, Rom. 15:9, "Therefore will I give praise 
unto thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name," and 
applied to the influence of Christ in the Gentile world. David 
exercised some influence over the nations immediately around 
him, but the record of his life does not justify the belief that his 
power reached more distant nations. The unlimited extent to 
which the praises of Jehovah should be proclaimed among the 
Gentiles according to the Psalm, is well adapted to express the 
unlimited reach of Christian teaching and worship. (4) The 
closing words of the Psalm, "to his anointed, to David and to 
his seed, forevermore," clearly include the Messiah. The pres- 
ence of this Messianic conclusion confirms in some measure our 
estimate of the Messianic value of the other contents of the 
Psalm. 

8. Triumphal Entry of the King. Psalm xxiv. 7-10. 

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; 

And lie ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors: 

And the King of glory will come in. 

Who is the King of glory! 

Jehovah strong and mighty, 

Jehovah mighty in battle. 

"Lift up vour heads, () ye gates; 

S"ea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors: 

And the King of glory will come in. 

Who is this King of glory? 

Jehovah of hosts, 

He is the King of glory." 



TRIUMPHAL ENTRY OF THE KING. 119 

The Psalm seems to be composed of two por- 
tions entirely independent of each other, and 
many scholars have become convinced that originally they were 
two distinct poems, and that in some unknown way they have 
been written together. The portion belonging to the present 
study reads as if it might have been composed for that occa- 
sion when David brought the ark of Jehovah into the city of 
Jerusalem in company with a multitude of priests and people 
and with much ceremony. The Psalm would be appropriate to 
be sung by the procession as the people approached the gates of 
the city: Compare 2 Sam. 6 :12-15. The ark and the mercy- 
seat, which was the lid of the ark, represented the presence of 
Jehovah in the midst of Israel ; and accordingly when the people 
bade the gates- of the city to open, it was not primarily to admit 
David or his people, but to give admission to Jehovah, the king 
of glory. Thenceforth Jerusalem was the city of the Great. 
King. 

Whether we have rightly conjectured the oc- 
Jehovah. ° casion of writing the Psalm or not, its most em- 
phatic representation is the triumph of Jehovah. 
This thought may be purposely left in an indefinite form, in 
order that it may find its realization, not in some single event, 
but in every event where the success of truth against error or 
right against wrong is signally manifested. The greatest possible 
exhibition of such a triumph must be the crowning victory of the 
Messiah over the forces of sin. 

This scripture is often interpreted as celebrat- 
ing the entry of the ark into Jerusalem consid- 
ered as a type of the entrance of the risen Christ into heaven at 
the time of his ascension.* There is no direct evidence regarding 
its intended application; and while the content of the Psalm is 
well suited to the ascension, it is equally well adapted to the 

*Compare the distinct affirmation of Briggs (Mes. Proph., p. 146): 
"The triumphanl entrance of Jehovah into Zion is the typo of the 
ascension of the Messiah, Jesus, to the heavenly Zion after His tri- 
umphant resurrection." It may be so; but unless we hold that all 
such similarities are types, whether divinely intended or not, how are 
we to be assured of this typology? This point is discussed in the 
author's Principles of Interpretation, p. 259 ff. 



120 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

final triumph of the Messiah at the close of the Christian age. 
In anv ease the Psalm vividly presents the triumph of the true 
God and His people over all the enemies of righteousness. Such 
a triumph is elsewhere abundantly presented as an object ot 
Christian hope. 

9. The Glory of Man. Psalm viii. 

"O Jehovah, our Lord, 

How excellent is thy name in all the earth, 

Who Inst set tbv glory upon the heavens! ,,.,■, x. n 

Out of tne' mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength, 

Because of thine adversaries. 

That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 

When I consider thv heavens, the work of thy fingers, 

The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? 

And the son of man, that thou visitest him? 

For thou hast made him but little lower than God, 

And erownest him with glory and honor. 

Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; 

Thou hast put all things under his feet: 

All sheep and oxen, 

Yea, and the beasts of the field, 

The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, 

Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. 

O Jehovah, our Lord. 

How excellent is thy name in all the earth. 

From the third line of this Psalm it is sup- 
A Night poged that it was composed at night when its 

PSalm " author was engaged in contemplating the heav- 

ens It is a psalm of meditation, and compares with Psalm vi, 
which was probably written as a morning hymn, looking back 
upon a sleepless night. The burden of this Psalm is to express 
the excellence of Jehovah as demonstrated by his works m the 
heavens and on the earth. 

The passage, "'Out of the mouth of babes and 
Praise from suc klings thou hast established strength," is 
Children ' quoted in Matt. 21 :16 as applicable to the occas- 

ion when Jesus had triumphantly entered the city of Jerusalem, 



THE GLORY OF MAN. 121 

and was purifying the temple, and little children were crying 
in his praise, "Hosanna to the son of David." The faith and 
confession of little children make the cause of God strong, be- 
cause their sincerity cannot he called in question, and because of 
the fact that if children with their simple comprehension clearly 
see the rightfulness of praise, the enemies of God must be blind 
to their duty of showing Him honor. Some scholars interpret 
that the voice of an infant's cry demonstrates the glory of God 
who created such a voice ; and others urge that the providence of 
God manifested in the protection of infants who are the most 
helpless of creatures, shows His praise. 

As compared with the greatness of God exhib- 
of Man ^ ec ^ * u ^ e glory of the heavens, man appears 

very insignificant, so that it would seem wonder- 
ful that God should deign to notice him; but God is constantly 
mindful of man, visits him, and has made him little less than 
God by forming him in the divine image and endowing him with 
powers similar to those of the divine intelligence. Moreover, 
God has given to man dominion over everything on land and sea, 
and has thus bestowed upon him an office commensurate with 
his abilities. This passage is clearly a reflection of the announce- 
ment to man on the day of his creation (Gen. 1:26-30). 

The writer of Hebrews quotes the language 
G1 of this Psalm respecting the honor which 

God has bestowed upon man (Heb. 2:5-9), 
and refers it to man, not in his fallen estate, but in his 
ideal condition when redeemed through Christ. That author 
recognizes the fall of man and the full extent of human weak- 
ness; but he sees in Jesus the ideal man, fulfilling man's destiny 
by attaining himself to the high rank to which man is entitled 
and by bringing up the race with him to its intended glory. The 
writer of Hebrews holds that all things are not yet subjected 
to man, and consequently man has not in his fallen condition 
reached the dignity and power which the Psalmist contemplates. 
In this fact he perceives the necessity of the Messiah to go before 
the race, to attain its ideal excellence himself in advance, and 
then to lift up humanity to his own plane of exaltation. Thus 



122 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

in Christ sinful man becomes a new creation, a new and exalted 
humanity. 

10. Deliverana from Death. Psalm xvi. 

"Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I take refuge. 

my soul, thou hast said unto Jehovah, Thou art my Lord: 
T have no good beyond thee. 

As for the saints that are in the earth, 

They are the excellent in whom is all my delight. 

Their sorrows shall be multiplied that give gifts for another god: 

Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, 

Nor take their names upon my lips. 

Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: . 

Thou maintainest my lot. 

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; 
Yea, I have a goodly heritage. 

1 will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel; 
Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons. 
I have set Jehovah always before me: 

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 

Therefore my heart is glad ami my glory rejoiceth: 

My flesh also shall dwell in safety. 

For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; 

Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. 

Thou wilt show me the path of life: 

In thy presence is fulness of joy; 

In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." 

The title of this Psalm ascribes it to David; 
Authorship an< ^ *^ s 8eems to De confirmed by the very 
ancient style of the Hebrew text and the char- 
acter of the thought, New Testament quotations also recognize 
the Davidic authorship (Acts 2:25; 13:35). If he was the 
author, the Psalm was probably written at a time when he was 
under Saul's persecution, which is implied by the expression 
"take refuge" and "my flesh also shall dwell in safety." 

In this case the "saints" and "excellent" are 
Allusions probably the portion of Israel that did not ap- 

prove Saul's course, and especially the elders of 
Judah whom David counted among his friends ami to whom he 
sent portions of bis spoil taken in battle (1 Sam. 30:26). Those 
"that give gifts for another god" may refer to such persons as 



DBLIVERANCE FROM DEATH. 1 23 

drove David forth from the inheritance of Jehovah, telling him 
to "go and serve other gods" (1 Sam. 26:19) ; but possibly it 
may refer to some persons in Israel who regularly made offerings 
to the gods of other nations. 

The most important part of the Psalm for the 
Interpretations. pres8nt gtudy ig the stateme nt, "For thou wilt 

not leave my soul to Sheol ; neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one 
to see corruption." This might mean either (1) that God will 
keep David from dying, especially at the hands of his enemies, 
and in this way not leave his soul in the unseen world; or (2) 
that David's death will virtually be no death at all, because of 
his expected resurrection from the dead; or (3) that the words 
are used directly with reference to the Messiah, who died, but 
did not remain long enough in the tomb to see corruption. 

The whole Psalm appears to present the re- 
m * flections of David suited to his own personal ex- 
periences, which favors the first view. The passage is quoted, 
however, in the New Testament (Acts 2:20-31; 13:35,36), and 
applied directly to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, 
which would favor the third view. The apostle Peter argues 
that David could not refer to himself, for he died and saw cor- 
ruption ; but that he was a prophet, and foresaw that Jesus 
should be raised up without corruption. This would seem to 
force us to a choice between a contextual interpretation of the 
Psalm and Peter's interpretation. 

Some scholars have sought to avoid this al- 
Solution Sed ternative by supposing that David indeed spoke 
only of his personal deliverance in this life; but 
that Peter either erroneously assumes a different meaning, or 
merely applies the language otherwise as a fitting quotation with- 
out intending to affirm what may be its original import. It 
seems to the 'devout interpreter very remarkable that Peter on 
Pentecost under the immediate influence and direction of the 
Holy Spirit should through error misapply this scripture; yet 
it is very certain that the argument of the apostle requires us to 
understand that he was giving his view of the original meaning. 
He plainly affirms that David was a prophet, and that he fore- 
saw, and in this passage spoke of the resurrection of the Christ. 



124 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

It seems not easy to mistake the apostle's meaning. 

Other interpreters have suggested that in 

Solution thought David rose above death, caught a glimpse 

of immortality, and ideally described a state 
which was not realized by him, at least in this life, but reached 
ultimately only in Christ,* According to this view David dis- 
regarded the corruption of the body as if it did not take place, and 
fixed his hope on an immortality which he should attain through 
Christ. It would be difficult to reconcile this interpretation 
with Peter's sermon on Pentecost; for the apostle bases his ar- 
gument on the corruption of the body of David and the incor- 
ruption of the body of Jesus in the tomb. 

Other scholars hold that the experiences of 

Solution David under the protection of God made him 

suitable to utter prophecy only partially ap- 
plicable to himself, and partly fulfilled in Christ alone. This 
view accepts in full the reasoning of the apostle and the direct 
Messianic value of the passage, and yet does not neglect the 
historical situation of the prophet which made him the more 
ready vehicle of the message. This also recognizes the combined 
human and divine authorship, by which David writes as if speak- 
ing out of his own experience and confidence, and yet is over- 
ruled by the Holy Spirit to speak also of things beyond his own 
sphere. It is only this sort of double authorship that justifies a 
double direct application. This view does not overlook the 
typical character of David, according to which Jehovah was 
keeping watch and protection over him just as over the Mes- 
siah; and the withholding of David from death, as he probably 
interpreted his own experience, involved the same principle of 
divine help as the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Indeed, 

*A slightly different phase of this view is thus given by A. Maelaren, 
Commentary on Psalm xvi. Expos. Bible: "The Psalm sets forth the 
ideal relation of the perfectly devout man to death and the future, and 
that Ideal is a reality in Him, from whom the blessed continuity, which 
the psalmist was sure must belong to fellowship so close as was his 
with God, flows to all who unite themselves with him. lie has trodden 
the path of life which he shows to us, and it is life, at every step even 
when it dips into the darkness of what men call death, whence it 
rises into the light of the Face which it is a joy to see, and close to 
the loving strong Hand which holds and gives pleasures for evermore." 



THE SUFFERING ONE. 125 

often in prophetic thought the Messiah, as the son of David, is 
David merely projected into the future so that the divine utter- 
ances of David concerning himself are quite within the field of 
his own great regal Successor. 

11. The Suffering One. Psalm xxii. 

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 
Why so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? 
O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou answerest not; 
And in the night season, and am not silent. 

But thou art holy, 

thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 
Our fathers trusted in thee: 

They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: 
They trusted in thee, and were not put to shame. 

But I am a worm, and no man; 

A reproach of men, and despised of the people. 

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: 

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 

Commit thyself unto Jehovah; let him deliver him: 

Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him. 

But thou art he that took me out of the womb; 

Thou didst make me trust when I was upon my mother's breasts. 

1 was cast upon thee from the womb; 
Thou art my God since my mother bare me. 
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; 
For there is none to help. 

Many bulls have compassed me; 

Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 

They gape upon me with their mouth, 

As a ravening and roaring lion. 

I am poured out like water, 

And all my bones are out of joint: 

My heart is like wax; 

It is melted within me. 

My strength is dried up like a potsherd; 

And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; 

And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 

For dogs have compassed me: 

A company of evil doers have enclosed me; 

They pierced my hands and my feet. 

I may count all my bones; 

They look and stare up'on me. 

They part my garments among them, 

And upon my vesture do they cast lots. 



126 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

But be not thou far off, O Jehovah: 

thou my succor, haste thee to help me. 
Deliver my soul from the sword, 

My darling from the power of the dog. 

Save me from the lion's mouth; 

Yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me. 

1 will declare thy name unto my brethren: 

In the midst of the assembly will I praise thee. 

Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him; 

All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; 

And stand in awe of him', all ye the seed of Israel. 

For he hath not "despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; 

Neither hath he hid his face from him; 

But when he cried unto him, he heard. 

Of thee cometh my praise in the great assembly: 

I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 

The meek shall eat and be satisfied; 

They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: 

Let your heart live forever. 

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah; 

And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 

For the kingdom is Jehovah's; 

And he is the ruler over the nations. ■ 

All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship: 

All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, 

Even he that cannot keep his soul alive. 

A seed shall serve him; 

It shall be told of the Lord unto the next generation. 

They shall come and shall declare his righteousness 

Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it." 

Late Dates If the historical situation of the writer of this 

Proposed for Psalm were well known, the task of interpreta- 
tion would be simplified; but we are not able 
positively to determine the date of its composition. Ewald and 
Hitzig suggest that perhaps it was written in Jeremiah's time, 
because the Psalm expresses a condition of dire distress in which 
the writer is closely beset by his enemies, which seems to suit the 
conditions of Jeremiah better than others before him. Briggs 
and Baur refer the Psalm to the time of the Babylonian Exile; 
but Olshausen proposes the time of the Maccabees. 

On the other hand, Delitzsch and many others 

Davidi? f ° r ascribe the Psalm t0 David chiefly for the follow- 

Authorship. reasons : ( 1 ) The title of the Psalm affirms its 

Davidic authorship, and the location of the 



THE SUFFERING ONE. 127 

Psalm near to others that are most surely David's seems to con- 
firm that vieAV. (2) No other person than the king, and most 
appropriately king David, could associate with his own suffer- 
ings and deliverance the conversion of the heathen and the bless- 
ing of mankind by means of an announcement of his deliverance. 
Apparently no other person would have grounds for believing 
that his own experiences would redound to the help and benefit 
of distant people. (3) The language of the Psalm possesses- the 
vividness and vigor of David's writings. (•!) The close perils 
of David in the time of persecution which he suffered at the 
hands of Saul seem to furnish an occasion well suited to the ut- 
terances of anguish and desperation found in this Psalm ; yet we 
cannot be certain that historical circumstances precisely cor- 
respond to these representations in the time of any writer.* In- 
deed, if the Psalm were interpreted strictly with reference to the 
Messiah, not all of it is applicable to any one moment of his ex- 
perience ; but the first half of the Psalm would apply to his cruci- 
fixion while the second half must apply to his resurrection. 
There is at least strong reason for holding the Davidic author- 
ship, while the reasons against it are based mainly on uncertain 
suppositions respecting David's historical conditions. 

While we may not decide with assurance 
'Messianic* 7 whether the writer intended to portray his own 
situation and grief, we are certain that there is 
a wonderful fitness in the utterances of the Psalm to the exper- 
ience and work of the Messiah. ( 1 ) The person here described 
is righteous, and yet is abandoned of God. Taking this in con- 
ned Ion with the fact that this person still recognizes that Jehovah 

*"The sufferings and hopes of the psalmist lead many recent scholars 
to hold in the exilic or post-exilic date. Cheyne Hees in the Psalm "the 
personified Genius of Israel, or more precisely the followers of Ne- 
hemiali, including the large-hearted Psalmist" (Origin of Psalter, p. 
264). Against this view stand out distinctly the following facts: (1) 
The psalm throughout is too individualistic to be merely a "personified 
Genius." (2) In the progress of thought it must far antedate Isaiah 
liii; for the relations of the writer to the "ends of the earth" are not 
vicarious nor redemptive, but exemplary (vv. 22, 27). (3) One of the 
reasons that men shall turn to the true God is, that "the kingdom is 
Jehovah's, and He is ruler among the nations," a form of thought 
that belongs not to the post-exilic time, but to that of the Second 
Psalm. 



-pg THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

is his God it follows that there must be some extraordinary rea- 
son why divine help is withdrawn. This at once suggest that 
the abandonment is temporary and designed to accomplish some 
most important purpose; and in this purpose, if anywhere in the 
Psalm is the kernel of Messianic blessing. (2) The enemies ot 
the person here mentioned, like beasts, mock at his sufferings. 
Tins indeed might be true in the case of David and many others; 
but it is notably fitting to the scenes of the Savior's trial and 
crucifixion, and would seem to be typical if not prophetic of 
these events. (3) His hands and feet are pierced his body 
racked and tortured, while his tongue is parched with thirst. 
Here again is a series of apt descriptions of the agonies on Cab 
vary No one will contend that these things might not be true 
of others, but it is remarkable that they should combine with a 1 
the other points of the Psalm to complete the picture of the Mes- 
siah's passion and deliverance. (4) His garments are parted 
anion- Ins enemies. This would seem perhaps a trifling matter 
J aVophecv a thousand years before its fulfilment m Jesus 
and the Roman soldiers; but a prophetic touch like this is far 
more important than a few articles of clothing, since it repre- 
sents the completeness of the temporary victory winch the en- 
emies of this victim had gained over him, and will serve the bet- 
ter to show how signal is to be his deliverance by f e ^wTe 
this is important* (5) It is out of "the dust of death that he 
is rescued. This might be an extreme statement of the utter 
despair which some person reached before his deliverance, but 
i literally true of Jesus that he went down into the grave be 
fore he triumphed by divine help. This is an essential feature 
in the experience of Christ as a part of his redemptive work. 
A) What God did for him is publicly declared to all the ends 
*ThP Messianic element in this Psalm in consonance with its ap- 

unattainable. How tai its I wo ras ui m hmte and numerous 



SUMMARY OF DAVIDIC PROPHECIES. 129" 

of the earth, which well suits the world-wide proclamation of the 
gospel embodying the death and resurrection of Jesus. (7) His 
great sufferings and final rescue by the help of Jehovah will re- 
sult in the conversion of men in all nations. This well describes 
the effect of the gospel of Christ as it is proclaimed throughout 
the world. 

The items just considered are the leading 

■.-J , 6 *™ and thoughts of this Psalm ; but like all other proph- 
Vital Elements. °. . '. . , 

ecies in poetic form, this passage contains much 

material of a concrete descriptive character which is designed 
only to complete the poetical picture. In this Psalm the poet 
naturally represents his enemies as roaring lions, or dogs, or wild- 
oxen, ready to rush upon him and overcome him; but such pas- 
sages must not be interpreted literally with respect to the writer 
himself or to the person concerning whom the prophecy is spok- 
en. Indeed, the vital element of the poem is the interest of Je- 
hovah in man, on account of which assurance is given that 
through some great sacrifice all the peoples of the earth shall se- 
cure an inestimable benefit. 

SUMMARY. 



Summary 
Limited. 



It is not necessary in a brief summary to re- 
count all the items of Messianic import which 
we have found in the Davidic period, but rather 
to note those which are most significant and those which mark 
an advance beyond the prophecies of earlier times. It may be 
profitable to recall at least the following: 
Priestly 1. The priestly functions which formerly 

Functions. were committed to the whole nation (Ex. 19:6),. 

are here limited to a sure and faithful family (1 Sam. 2:35, 36). 
This is not to be understood as diminishing the priestly char- 
acter of all Israel itself, but these functions are placed respon- 
sibly upon a single household. 

becomes simple fact in Jesus' sufferings, the psalm is a prophecy of 
Him and them. In the former case the psalmist's experience, in the 
latter case his utterances, were divinely shaped so as to prefigure the 
sacred sorrows of the Man of Sorrows.'' 



130 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

David's Throne. -■ God will unconditionally establish David's 
heir on the throne of his kingdom forever. 2 Sam. 
7 :11-16. This promise is more definite than that given to Judah 
(Gen. 49:10), since it limits the sceptre to one family in Judah, 
and announces that the royalty thus bestowed shall continue 
forever. 
Eoval Priest **' ^ e P ro P ne ts "lord" is to be exalted to 

the right hand or God, made victorious over the 
world, and appointed a priest forever after the order of Mel- 
chizedek. Psalm ex. Every feature of this prediction is new and 
important. The exaltation of the king chosen of God, his broad 
victory, and his combination of royalty and priesthood which shall 
not end, mark him as a rare and wonderful personage, wholly 
different from any one who had arisen in Israel, and with an of- 
fice different from any that had as yet been contemplated. 

Ro-al Sen *' ^ ie k* n S a PP°i nte d by Jehovah is also His 

Son newly begotten, whose dominion shall ex- 
tend to the uttermost parts of the earth, and who demands the 
reverence of all the peoples. Psalm ii. This prophecy exceeds 
any utterance that has gone before it in the fact that sonship 
to Jehovah in the special and personal sense here indicated is the 
highest rank yet announced for any person. In Psalm ex the 
"lord" was to sit at the right hainl of Jehovah's power, which 
might be called a divine premiership; but sonship is greater than 
premiership, since the son is an heir of all things while the prem- 
ier is only appointed to a particular task. Also, the extent of 
dominion here promised is greater than that heretofore pre- 
sented; for while in Psalm ex enemies were to be overcome "in 
many countries," here a possession of "the uttermost parts of 
the earth" is predicted. 

., 5. The king's rule is to be universal, as al- 

ready noted in previous Psalms; but now more 
than this, it is to be peaceful, perpetual and prosperous. Psalm 
lxxii. 

6. The king is to be himself divine, and is to 
ivine ing. ni j e ^-^ a sce p tre £ e q U ity and with the love of 

righteousness; and therefore he is to be anointed above his fel- 
lowmen. Psalm xlv. Here the king's rank is nothing short of 



SUMMARY OF DAVIDIC PROPHECIES. 131 

majestic divinity. His personal character and the morale of his 
reign are to correspond to his own supreme dignity. This is 
decidedly an advance upon previous announcements. 

Triumphal ?• Jehovah in triumph enters the Holy City. 

Entry. Psalm xxiv. Such a picture of triumphal ova- 

tion has not been hitherto set forth. 

8. Man, although sinful and insignificant, is 
Man 7 ° f to ^ e esteemed little less than God, and to be 

crowned with honor and authority. Psalm viii. 
A basis for this utterance was laid in the declaration of Gen. 
1 :26 ; but since the despair of man in the toils of sin and his 
deep humiliation in weakness and misery, no announcement has 
been made that has promised so perfect a return to his original 
grandeur as this. It gives to a wretched race a new outlook of 
hope, and that of the highest character. 

9. The Holy One of Jehovah shall not be for-. 

The One saken to the realms of death nor be permitted 

Not Forsaken ,. , , , ,, „ ^ , ,- ., 

to Sheol. to see corruption, but by the power or God. sua 11 

be rescued from that enemy to whom all others 
fall a prey. Psalm xvi. If this is to be understood as a pre- 
view of the resurrection of Christ, it is the first prophecy to that 
effect, and is hence an important advance in prophetic devel- 
opment. 

10. The one whom God forsook in the very 
Deliverance depths of distress and despair, He afterward de- 
livered; and by a declaration of these divine 

events men of all lands were brought to the service and praise of 
Jehovah. Psalm xxii. In this Prophecy much is new. Jehovah for 
a time forsakes the object of His love in direst extremities, then 
again rescues him from his enemies, causes a gospel concerning 
these doings to be proclaimed to all nations, and by this means 
secures the service of every class of mankind. 

Altogether, this period of prophecy marks a 

Advance great advance in the development of the divine 

plan. It is probably a more rapid advance than 

any that may be found in the same length of time either earlier 

or later. It is this fact that has led many scholars to assign 

some of these psalms to later dates, and it would seem really a 



132 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

strong persuasion; but there are some reasons why at this time 
the progress of revelation should be greater than usual. (1) It 
was a time of national improvement. A better morality than 
that which had prevailed during the period of the wilderness and 
the judges was at this time obtaining among the people. A more 
perfect loyalty to Jehovah under the combined influence of Sam- 
uel and David are now existing in Israel. Also a closer unity 
and fellowship of tribes in civil and religious matters were 
brought about. (2) It was a time of high expectation due to 
the defeat of former oppressors and the securing of a complete 
relief from external annoyance. It was a time suited to inspire 
faith in Jehovah and confidence in national permanence and 
power. (3) Above all things else, it was the time of establish- 
ing the monarchy, which was one of the most important steps 
toward the Messianic kingdom; and it was the time of choosing 
the regal and Messianic family. This made it the appropriate 
season to announce many of those features of the Messianic reign 
toward which this change of Israel's government directly pointed. 
(4) It was a time to deposit in the hearts of all Israel those 
hopes which should sustain the kingdom, or at least the faith of 
the people, in all the crises of future years. This suggests the 
necessity of all those prophecies which relate to the perpetuity 
of David's family as heirs of the throne; those concerning the 
exaltation, dignity and office of the ideal king; and those that 
pertain to the universality, exclusiveness, peacefulness and pros- 
perity of the ideal kingdom, including those respecting the 
priesthood. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE PROPHECIES OF AMOS AND HOSEA. 

The Prophets Along with these two earlier prophets of the 

eighth century before Christ, Amos and Hosea, 
who prophesied for the Northern Kingdom at -a time of a very 
sad decline in the moral and spiritual temper of the people, 
many scholars have included also Joel who ministered to Judah 
at a time when the inhabitants of that land likewise needed re- 
proof and repentance ; but while there is much that may be 
offered in support of the view that Joel taught in this period, 
there are so many and cogent reasons for holding to a much 
later date that it seems better to place his prophecies in a list 
of undated productions most of which could not have been very 
early.* These prophets seem to have labored independently of 
each other and of any others that may have lived in their time. 
1. The Ruined House of David Rebuilt. Amos ix. 8-15. 

T' e of Amos Amos, the writer of this prophecy, was at one 

time a humble herdsman of the village of Tekoa, 
which was situated about twelve miles southeast of Jerusalem in 
the country of Judah. ITe prophesied "in the days of Uzziah 
king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash 
king of Israel, two years before the earthquake" (Amos 1:1). 
We do qo1 know the time of the earthquake to which allusion is 
here made; but the most recent facts bearing upon the dates of 
these kings indicate that Uzziah reigned 791-740 B. C, and Jero- 

*Tlie writer is preparing, as a companion to this book, a volume of 
critical notes on Messianic passages, in which he purposes to set forth 
.it some length both sides of this and other critical questions, so as to 
afford the student an opportunity of making an unbiased decision. That 
work may here be anticipated only so far as to say that the date of Joel 
cannot be positively assigned; but if it be not as early as Amos, it is 
probably later than Ezra. 



^34 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

boam 790-749 B. C* which would locate the work of Amos be- 
tween 790 and 749, probably late in Jeroboam's reign, perhaps 
760-750. 

The chief burden of the book of Amos is judg- 
Burden of the ment for gin He po ints out the judgments of 
Jehovah against surrounding nations, and then 
last of all announces the punishment of Northern Israel, which, 
on account of the greatness of violence and iniquity in the land, 
is most imminent, Through many chapters the charges of wick- 
edness are hurled into the face of the nation, strong threatemngs 
are pronounced, and urgent exhortation is given to repent, to 
"hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the 
gate: it may be that Jehovah, the C4od of hosts, will be gracious 
unto the remnant of Joseph." In the eighth and ninth chapters 
the prophet seems to see the doom of Israel as if it were at hand. 
He say.-. 

"Behold, the eves of the Lord Jehovah are upon the sinful kingdom, 
and I will destroy' it from off the face of the earth; save that I will not 
utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith Jehovah. For, lo, I will com- 
mand' and I 'will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like 
as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least kernel fall upon 
the earth." Amos ix. 8, 0. 

This clearly foretells the Exile, but promises that not all of 
the house of Israel shall be destroyed ; and this is in harmony with 
the purpose of God often announced before, to make use of the 
people of Israel in the salvation of the world. 

It is not Northern Israel, however, that will 
Blessing bring about the Messianic blessing; and this is 

Through House kclicated in the following passage, with which 
of David. ,,,«>» i 

the book of Amos closes: 
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, 
and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up its ruins, and T 
Will build it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant 
of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, saith Jeho- 
vah, that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the 
plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him 
that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and 
all the hills shall melt. And I will bring back the captivity of my 

"For a brief view of different chronologies of the kings of this 
period, prepared by recent scholars, see Isaiah's Life and Times, by 
Driver, p. 13. 



david's house rebuilt. 135 

people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; 
and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall 
also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them 
upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land 
which I have given them, saith Jehovah thy God. " Amos ix. 11-15. 

This scripture promises a restoration of the 

Elements! people of Israel after they shall have been taken 

captive, that they may rebuild the cities that 

have been overthrown and re-establish their homes in the land 

of their fathers. The following seem to be the leading Messianic 

elements : 

(1) The house of Jacob shall not be utterly 
of Israel 1011 destroyed. This was not promised to any other 

nation ; and the reason is a Messianic one, be- 
cause through no other nation was God's greatest work for man- 
kind to be accomplished. It is not improper to denominate such 
a feature Messianic ; for the utterances of the Hebrew prophets, 
unlike those of heathen seers and sibyls, are not complete in any 
single passage, but are in parts (Heb. 1:1), all of which taken 
together form a complete system of prophetic revelation. The 
preservation of the Hebrew nation taken alone and without re- 
gard to correlative announcements might not be deemed Mes- 
sianic; but since that along with many other divine events was 
necessary to the final Messianic accomplishment, and since it is a 
part of the whole system of Messianic prophecy, it is also to be 
regarded properly as Messianic. 

(2) Every grain of good in Israel, when the 
Saving ^ nation shall be thoroughly sifted on account of 

its sins, will be saved (ver. 9). This fact inter- 
preted in the light of related predictions signifies that Jehovah 
reserves that part of Israel which he may be able to use in his ser- 
vice for the accomplishment of some purpose to be manifested 
in later times; and such a purpose, if worthy of God, must be 
Messianic. Other utterances of the prophets, not to say anything 
of the fact now apparent in history, confirm this conclusion. 

(3) The tabernacle of David that fell into 

of 1 David G ruins will be rebuilt. The Davidic family occu- 

pied the throne of Judah over four hundred 



136 THE MESSIANIC. MESSAGE. 

years; but the Babylonian Exile deprived the heir of David of 
his sceptre, and many generations passed during which time the 
house of David, here called his "tabernacle," was in ruins. Amos 
foresees this condition of David's house,* and predicts that the 
royal power shall be restored to David's posterity, and in this 
sense the tabernacle of David shall be rebuilt. Clearly this was 
accomplished when the son of Mary was seated in royal majesty 
at the right hand of God with the sceptre of Israel and of the 
world in his hand. It has certainly been fulfilled in no other 
person. 

P ner'tv W Abundant fruitfulness is promised to 

Israel when they shall be restored. As in many 
other passages, this prediction is expressive of the divine blessing 
which in varied forms will and does attend a righteous and faith- 
ful generation. If the Messianic age develops peace, uprightness 
and loyalty to the highest principles of life, such as Jehovah 
enjoins upon men, it must inevitably be a period of prosperity. 

(5) Israel is to be replanted, never to be 

Kepfanted plucked up again. If this refers to the restora- 

tion of the Jews to Palestine after the Babylon- 
ian captivity, and predicts that they would never again be re- 
moved from that land, the opposite certainly has been fulfilled. 
This might be the meaning, and the prophecy be understood as 
based on the condition of Israel's dutifulness to Jehovah, which 
condition was not fulfilled, and consequently Israel did not 
secure their promised reward. In the midst of other Messianic 
announcements, however, this might be regarded as a forecast of 
the stability of the kingdom of (!od in the Messianic age. The 
Church of Christ on earth will never be uprooted by the hands 

Farrar on this passage (Minor Prophets, p. 68), says, "The taber- 
nacle of David had been rent with breaches and encumbered with ruins 
by Jeroboam I., ami by Josiah, ami by foreign foes," which implies 
thai David's tabernacle hail already fallen when Amos spoke. Although 
"is fallen" (English version) may seem to imply this, yrt. the foregoing 

prophecy of exile, which was future to the prophet ami which was to 
overturn Northern Israel, a part of David's dominion, implies that he 
uses the words ''is fallen" for the time just preceding the restoration, 
not for the time when the prediction is uttered. While Amos does here 
prophesy the fall of Judah directly, yet that fall must precede the 

return of Northern Israel; ami Amos did anticipate it, saying that a 
fire should "devour the palaces of Jerusalem" (2:5). 



COMPASSION TO REJECTED ISRAEL. 137 

of its enemies. In either view, the purpose of Jehovah to give 
permanence to His people and honor to His name is assured. 

Thus out of the midst of the moral darkness 

Darkness ° anc * prospective disaster that surrounded the 

prophet Amos, he reveals a bright and glorious 

future for His people as a reward for their faithful obedience to 

the God of Jacob whom at that time Israel had almost forsaken. 

2. Compassion to Rejected Israel. Hos. i. 2 — ii. I. 

Concerning the prophet Hosea little is known. 

TTo^P3 And 

His Time. ^ ne Pl ace °f hi s home is not mentioned in the 

Old Testament, and it is not certain whether he 
lived in Judah or Northern Israel. His prophecies, however, re- 
late mainly to the Northern Kingdom. The first verse announces 
that Hosea was the son of Beeri ; but the father is otherwise un- 
known. The same verse informs us that Hosea prophesied in the 
days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah, 
and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. We 
do not know how long in the reigns of Uzziah and Hezekiah Hosea 
prophesied ; but our later chronologists usually place the death 
of Uzziah in 740 B. C, and the beginning of Hezekiah 's reign in 
709 B. C. In any case it would seem that Hosea 's ministry lasted 
over thirty years, and we may reasonably suppose that the present 
book is but a small fragment of the prophetic message, of his life. 
Many scholars think the first prophecy was uttered before the 
death of Jeroboam, about 750 B. C, and that his other prophecies 
wen- delivered at intervals down to the days of Hezekiah. It 
was a lime of moral and political gloom, the period in whieb 
Northern Israel was rapidly approaching its down-fall in 722 B. 
C. It is probable that the greater part of Hosea 's work consisted 
in an attempt In stem this irresistible tide of immorality and de- 
struction : and. while lie could not prevent the devastation of his 
(•(Hint rv and the exile of his people, he doubtless saved many from 
a moral and spiritual ruin worse than the fate of the land. Be- 
sides this, he erected prophetic" monuments, valuable not only in 
his own degenerate times, but priceless as a heritage to other 
ereneral ions. 



138 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

His family ^* ie P resent prophecy opens with a command 

from Jehovah to Hosea to be married to a wo- 
man of lawless life, because the land was unfaithful to Jehovah. 
So he took Gomer, who bore a son whom Jehovah named Jezreel, 
because that in a little while the blood of Jezreel, the city of Ahab 
and Jezebel, should be avenged upon the house of Jehu, wbo had 
slain the descendants of Ahab, but whose own descendants now on 
the throne were equally displeasing to Jehovah. In this connec- 
tion the overthrow of the Kingdom of Israel is foretold. The first 
daughter was called Lo-ruhamah, which means No-mercy, for Je- 
hovah would show no mercy to the house of Israel, although 
Judah would receive mercy. This distinction arose from the 
fact that Israel would not repent, while Judah had not become so 
obstinate as to resist the divine influences put forth for her refor- 
mation. A second son was named Lo-ammi. meaning Xot-my- 
people, because Israel would not be God's people. In this way 
the prophet announces a hopeless future for the Northern King- 
dom ; and it turned out indeed to be true that the people were 
carried into captivity, and the nation thus broken up was never 
re-established. He presents a gloomy picture, but closely follows 
it with a bright promise concerning the individuals who might be 
found faithful when the Lord should return His captives to their 
land. 

"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall 
Israel to be be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured 

Restored. nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the 

place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my 
people, it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. 
And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gath- 
ered together, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall 
go up from the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Say ye 
unto vour brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah." Hosea 
1:10-2:1. 

This is a clear prediction that the people who were about to be 
cast off by Jehovah were not to be wholly lost, but that they 
should again be gathered with the children of Judah into one peo- 
ple, and return from captivity. This does not promise a reorgan- 
ization of Northern Israel into a nation separate from Judah as 
il bad been For two hundred and fifty years, but a union of the 
two peoples into one mil ion as in the days of David and Solomon. 



EFFORTS TOWARD RESTORATION. 139 

This could be accomplished only by a return of individuals from 
exile, because the national character of both Israel and Judah was 
destroyed by the Assyrians and Babylonians. At that 'time the 
people who formerly would not be called "my people ' ' were to be 
called "sons of the living God." Accordingly they were to say to 
their brethren "Ammi," which means My-people; and to their 
sisters "Ruhamah," which means Obtained-mercy. Thus the 
prophet points to a distant time when Jehovah will restore the 
faithful descendants of the evil generation to whom Hosea spoke. 
This implies some ulterior purpose in the mind of God to be ac- 
complished through this people. The expressions "my people" 
and "sons of the living God" imply that the future Israel was to 
have a very close relationship with Jehovah and to enjoy rich 
blessings at His hands. To a certain extent this was fulfilled in 
Palestine after the Exile ; but it finds a far richer fulfilment in 
that more intimate relationship which Christian Israel has with 
God and in the more perfect blessings bestowed on those who by 
the spirit of adoption cry, Abba, Father. 



3. Efforts Toward Restoration. 

(1) A Restoration of Israel is attempted by 
Withdrawn. withdrawing God's gifts from the people. 

Hosea 2 :2-3. Hosea compares Israel to his own 
unfaithful wife, who has forsaken him and her children, and 
followed her lovers. She shall receive no mercy, but be forsaken 
by her husband until starvation and distress compel her to re- 
turn to him. She did not know that he was her support, and 
that when his supply of food and clothing should be denied, she 
would come to desperate distress. So Israel has forsaken Jeho- 
vah to worship other gods, and has been unmindful of the gifts 
from Jehovah's hands by which she has been sustained. Now 
Jehovah will withhold the wine and oil and grain and wool and 
flax, until Israel shall languish with hunger anfl nakedness. 
All the mirth of her feasts, her sabbaths and her solemn as- 
semblies shall cease ; her vines and fruit-trees shall be laid waste, 
and her wealth shall be taken from her. After that she will 
awaken to her wretchedness, forsake her worship of Baalim, 



140 



THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



and return to Jehovah as before. Then a great reformation 
will occur The very name of Baal shall no longer he mentioned 
by Israel, even as a familiar word for husband* ; and Jehovah wi 
even make a covenant with the beasts and birds that battle sha 
eease out of the land, and they shall dwell safely Israel shal 
he betrothed anew unto Jehovah for ever; and this betrothal 
shall be made in righteousness, justice, mercy and faithfulness. 
Then Jehovah will answer the call of Israel when they plead 
for harvests of grain and vintages of wine and oil; and I then 
will He call them "my people," and they call Him my God. 
Thus by the withdrawal of gifts Israel shall learn the follies 
of her idolatry and be restored to the service of Jehovah, lnis 
is based on the condition of Israel's repentance; and it such a 
restoration as this did not occur before the people were carried 
into captivity, it was because they did not repent. If after the 
captivity some families were restored to their land and the favor 
of God, it was because they disavowed the sins of their fathers. 
(2) A restoration of Israel is sought by 
Sending to sending the people into exile. Hosea iii. The 

Exile - prophet carries on the same figure of his un- 

faithful wife, whom Jehovah bids him to love again, and, if 
possible restore to his home. He finds her in bond, and redeems 
her for a few pieces of silver and a little barley. He brings her 
to his home where she is kept for a season, that he may comirm 
his love to her and win her heart again. This is used to illus- 
trate the fact that Israel shall for a season be shut oft from king 
and prince, and sacrifice, in order, that she may with more earnest 

•The word baal meant lord, and might be applied to a divinity or 
t0 a T a£ Probably in the days of King Saul it was .used for 
fehovah- for Saul named his fourth son Eshbaal (II. Chr. 8.33) which 

"'"•';'; , ., T , m . ulll we have no reason to believe that haul 

;::;;:;:• :::r; he $ s VtV, ^1,,,,^*. m^ later, ^ * r *>* 

bhbosheth, man of sham I. ft an 2.8 . wm Merrihaal (L rhr . 
(;■■;■■) was changed to JerubDesnetn in. nam. ■ . >■ ii.-\ ♦ ,, 

command in Ex. 23:13, "Make no mention <•< the name of other gods. 



EFFORTS TOWARD RESTORATION. 141 

devotion seek after Jehovah as her God and David as her king. 
Thus the Exile is predicted as a means, not to destroy Israel, but 
to restore her to allegiance to Jehovah. 

The representations made by the prophet in 
Hosea^ 11 Grief *he °P enni g chapters of this book concerning the 
state of his household are very remarkable in 
any view that we may entertain concerning it. That Jehovah 
should command him to marry a wicked woman does not com- 
port well with our best ideas of the character of Jehovah. It 
must also have been a very great sacrifice of Hosea that he 
should be involved in such grief and disgrace as his unfaithful 
Avife brought to him, and it seems improbable that God would 
require such a sacrifice merely that the circumstance should 
be used to illustrate a sermon to Israel. On the other hand, if 
we suppose that Hosea had no such experience as that which he 
describes, but offers an imaginary account as a parable to illus- 
trate the unfaithfulness of the nation to God, it seems 'strange 
that he would make the matter so personal and thereby bring dis- 
grace unjustly upon his wife and children. It is certain that the 
lesson would make a much deeper impression upon the people 
if they knew that their speaker had actually experienced the hor- 
rors of a wrecked and ruined home. It is possible that the wo- 
man was in good repute when the marriage occurred, and that 
she is represented otherwise only by anticipation, but that she 
became disloyal at some later time,* possibly before the birth of 
her children. It seems that Hosea delivers his lessons in parts 
from time to time as the affairs of his household are developing. 
This implies that he spoke out of the sadness of his own heart, 
and thus presented more than once to Israel a living picture of 

*A. B. Davison expresses a similar view: "A wife of whoredoms 
does not mean a woman already a sinner; nor yet a woman with a 
propensity to unchastity, a sense which the word could not bear. A 
wife of whoredoms is explained by "children of whoredoms." The 
children did not yet exist; they were born in the prophet's house; for 
Hosea did not marry a woman with a family. In like manner the 
woman when taken was not yet that which she afterwards became. If 
the events to be real, the words are written from a much later period in 
the prophet's history. Looking back on his experiences with Gomer, 
and all that he had suffered and learned through them, Hosea felt that 
his impulse to take this woman to wife was the beginning of Jehovah's 
speaking to him (cf. Jer. 32:8)." Hastings' Bible Diet., Art. Hosea. 



142 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

the awful shame and unfaithfulness of the nation in departing 

from Jehovah to serve other Gods. 

,, . (3) A restoration of Israel is attempted hv 

Expressions of . on 

Love. expressions ot love. Hosea xi. 8-11. 

"How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall 
I cast thee off, Israel? how shall 1 make thee as Admah? how shall 
I set thee as Zeboiim? my heart is turned within me, my compassions 
are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, 
I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy 
One in the midst of thee; and T will not come in wrath. They shall 
walk after Jehovah, who will roar like a lion; for he will roar, and the 
children shall come trembling from the west. They shall come tremb- 
ling as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria; 
and I will make them to dwell in their houses, saith Jehovah." 

Th Th ht This con t a i ns a very earnest plea by Jehovah 

to Northern Israel, apparently in the form of 
a last appeal before a separation between Israel and God must 
take place. God is finding it necessary to destroy His people as 
he destroyed Admah and Zeboiim when he overthrew the land 
of Sodom (Gen. 14:2,-3; 19:25). AVhen Jehovah says, "I am 
God, and not man," He implies that although man may cease 
to love, He is constant; although He must overthrow Ephraim, 
it is not to be done in wrath, but the act is to be an expression 
of justice mingled with fatherly affection, and the consequence 
will be that children of Jehovah shall come from all lands tremb- 
ling in filial reverence. 

(4) A restoration of Israel is attempted 

Resurrection. D - y a P rom ise of national resurrection. Hosea 

xiii. 14: 

"I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them 

from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy 

destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes." 

This language implies that Israel is doomed to a national 
death, because she is already hopelessly corrupt; and if she is 
to be rescued at all, it must be only from Sheol.* This implies 

*The American Revisers have displaced the word "hell" in the 
A. V. with "Sheol" throughout the O. T.; but the English Revisers 
place Sheol in the poetical books; in other books they put " grave " or 
"pit" with Sheol in the margin, but in Tsa. xiv, where the King of 
Babylon is mentioned, although it is Sheol in the Hebrew, the English 
Revisers say, "He is brought down to hell." (!) In the N. T. the 



EFFORTS TOWARD RESTORATION. 143 

that the repentance of Israel can now no longer be anticipated, 
and it is certain that God will not repent of His decision to pun- 
ish Israel ; so her fate is sealed. Only a resurrection will restore 
her. The Exile is here presented under the figure of the grave ; 
and Israel carried away on account of her sins is as one dead. 
The prophet implies that a remnant of Israel shall return from 
captivity as one arising from the tomb. The later history de- 
scribes the carrying away of Israel and their settlement in cer- 
tain cities of Assyria (2 Kings 17:6) ; but we know little con- 
cerning the return of any "descendants of these Israelites to Pal- 
estine, although it is probable that some came back with the 
Jews, and from that time forth were identified with the Jewish 
nation. The rest of Israel were hopelessly lost in foreign lands. 
Many efforts have been made in modern times to prove that these 
lost tribes of Israel drifted westward into Europe and became 
the ancestors of the English people and others, but the evidences 
offered are wholly unsatisfactory to the majority of scholars. 

(5) A restoration of Israel is sought by pre- 

Blesslng 011 ^ senting a picture of confession and blessing. 
Hosea xiv. 2-9. The prophet urges Israel to 
return to Jehovah with the confession that they have commit- 
ted iniquity in His sight, that they will no more depend upon 
Assj^ria instead of Jehovah, and no more call upon their false 
and worthless gods. If they will do this, God will heal their 
backsliding, turn away His anger, love them freely, and give 
them great prosperity. 

The Messianic features of all these prophetic 

Features. efforts to restore Israel to her former loyalty 

to Jehovah are as follows : ( 1 ) Jehovah is 
represented as a husband to Israel. The sad illustration of Ho- 
sea 's faithless wife is offered with the intent to make Israel see, 
not only the folly and disgrace of her departure from God to 
whom she was solemnly espoused in covenant at the foot of Mount 
Sinai (Ex. 24:1-8), but also the infinite patience and longing 

word Hades displaces "hell" wherever it is Hades in the original, but 
"hell" is placed where it is Gehenna in Greek. Sheol and Hades mean 
simply the sphere of the dead, but Gehenna means the place of final 
punishment. 



144 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Love of Jehovah over the wayward nation and His earnest at- 
tempts to win her back to Himself. It is appropriate to regard 
this as a Messianic clement in the prophecy, because Jehovah's 
great care for Israel in contrast with His temporary neglect of 
other nations must have been due to the purpose of accomplish- 
ing through them the Messianic promise made to Abraham and 
often repeated to his descendants. It is notable that here for the 
first time the figure of the husband is used by the prophets to 
illustrate the relation of God to the people of Israel. (2) God 
will punish Israel in order to bring about her reformation. In- 
stead of utterly destroying the people, he punished them for 
their sins with the aim of securing to them a more loyal dispo- 
sition. This again points forward to the ends to be accomp- 
lished through their future faithfulness. (3) Even after the 
nation shall find its grave in exile, its resurrection as from the 
dead will be possible, that the divine purpose apparently so 
nearly thwarted by Israel's disobedience may not fail of its 
final accomplishment. The nation is to be the means of bringing 
salvation to all the earth, and it is Hosea's part to save it, if 
possible, from obliteration, and to prophesy that although it 
may descend to the very verge of destruction, it is the purpose of 
Jehovah to rescue it to the praise of His ow r n name. 

SUMMARY. 

1. The wicked in Israel and among other nations shall be 
overthrown by divine judgment, and those who have persecuted 
and despoiled God's people shall fall as an army defeated in 
battle. 

2. The chosen people shall be vindicated in judgment, be 
cleansed from their sins, have the presence of God in their 
midst, and be greatly prospered under His providence. 

3. When Israel shall be sifted on account of her sins by 
being carried into captivity, every grain of good in the nation 
shall he saved, that the whole nation be not extirpated. 

4. The tabernacle of David's royal power which shall be over- 
thrown by the captivity shall be rebuilt; and Israel now soon to 
be removed from their land are to be replanted never to be 
plucked up again. 



SUMMARY OF AMOS AND HOSE A. 145 

5. God is a husband to Israel; "He is grieved over her dis- 
loyalty to Him, and yet with persistent love seeks her reforma- 
tion. He will punish her for her unfaithfulness with the in- 
tent to betroth her anew unto Himself in righteousness and con- 
stancy. 

6. Israel must come down into death for her sins; but she 
shall enjoy a national resurrection by Jehovah's power; and this 
is assured because her God will not repent of His purpose either 
to punish the nation in captivity or to save her from extinction. 

We have already noted that hitherto each 
General period of prophecy is marked by a distinguish-- 

the^Period ° ni » future due to the character of the age in 
which it arose. In the period of the patriarchs 
the Messianic predictions assume the form of family forecasts, in 
which almost every statement relates to the descendants of those 
by whom the messages are spoken, because in that period before 
the founding of nations the life of the family was most con- 
spicuous. In the 'Mosaic period when the nation is being estab- 
lished, and the national laws and organization are most promi- 
nent in the minds of prophet and people, the predictions assume 
national forms, and relate mainly to the future of the chosen 
nation. In the Davidic period when the monarchy is being es- 
tablished, and all eyes are turned toward the king, the prophec- 
ies relate chiefly to the future of the king and his descendants 
and the perpetuity of their throne together with the righteous- 
ness and universality of their reigns. Now in this period of ear- 
lier prophets when apostasy' and impending judgment require 
the attention of the prophet as a reformer in the midst of a per- 
verse people, the predictions are marked by allusions to de- 
structive punishments and subsequent reformations. In every 
case the historical situation of the prophet and his hearers sup- 
plies the leading figure by .which the prophetic message is illus- 
trated, and the future is described in terms adapted to a just 
and natural expectation of the age. This does not imply that 
the prophecy is ;i human and purely natural product, but indi- 
cates that God sent His messages in forms suited to attract the 
attention and to meet the highest reasonable expectation of the 
people to whom they were delivered. 



CHAPTER V. 

PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH 'S TIME. 

1. Tht Coming King of Peace. Zech. ix. 9, 10. 

The text of this paragraph and the next two 
Tlme ' included in Zech. ix-xi is assigned to the time of 

Isaiah, because (1) it refers distinctly to "all the tribes of Is- 
rael " (9 1 ) to Ephraim (9 -.10, 13 ; 10 :7) , and to Joseph (10 :6) 
as ye1 in the land, which Zechariah living after the Exile could 
hardly have written; (2) it refers to Assyria and Egypt as ex- 
isting powers, not yet overthrown, but in the future to be 
"brought down," because they had carried -away Jehovah s 
people into their lands (10:10,11), which conditions did not ex- 
ist in the days of Zechariah; (3) it predicts the scattering ot the 
people of Israel in foreign countries, especially Egypt and As- 
syria and the return of these exiles to their own country where 
thev "shall walk in the name of Jehovah (10:9-12), which had 
already taken place before the days of Zechariah; (4) the style 
of the writing is notably different from that of the earlier chap- 
ters of Zechariah: and (5) in Matt. 27:9 a quotation from Zech. 
11 -12 13 is attributed to Jeremiah with no evidence of a tran- 
scriber's error or other change of text in Matthew, and yet our 
presenl book of Jeremiah does not contain the passage. Why 
the nam, of Jeremiah appears in connection with the quotation 
is not surely known; possibly it is the result of some accident 
which we have not the means of tracing, or possibly these chap- 
ters in the book of Zechariah were written by a man named 
Jeremiah but who lived at a time earlier than the prophet of 
lhjli nam; whose writings are found in the Old Testament.* 

; 1 """" ;,h m ™tht' roacliirenough occur P through a reminiscence of Jer. 



THE COMING KING OF PEACE. 147 

The historical allusions suit the time of Isaiah and probably 
between 740 and' 722 B. C. 

T . The coming king is described by our prophet 

in the following words : 
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusa- 
lem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just and having sal- 
vation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an 
ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from 
Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace 
unto the nations: and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from 
the River to the ends of the earth. ' ; 

The king here described is probably not hu- 
tl^King* ° miliated, since the ass was honored by the Is- 

raelites (Judges 5:10); still, the scene is less 
pompous than if the king had been represented as riding upon a 
war-horse. While not humiliated, he is clearly announced as 
just and lowly, bearing a peaceful disposition toward the nations 
of the earth. Under his influence the war-chariot and the battle- 
bow shall disappear from the land; nevertheless his dominion 
shall extend throughout the world. 

This prophecy is quoted in Matt. 21 :5 and 
Application John 12 :15 in connection with the triumphal 

entry of Jesus into Jerusalem a few days before 
his death. The occasion was recognized by the disciples of the 
Lord as a literal fulfilment of the prediction. While the literal 
fulfilments of apparently unimportant items of prophetic utter- 
ances are rare,* nevertheless there is no reason for not regarding 
this as such a fulfilment. We should note that not merely the 
external features of the prophecy find a parallel in the proces- 
sion of the Savior and his followers before the gates of the Holy 
( 'ity, but the very heart of the prophet's message is also fulfilled. 
Jesus was indeed, as well as in appearance, lowly and peaceful, 
coming to his people without boastful pretensions or regal dis- 

and who holds "that there must have been a transcriber's error in the 
very earliest copy of our Gospel." This latter view, although lacking 
any proof, is certainly a reasonable assumption. 

^Unimportant items are not intended to be fulfilled. Items that are 
intended to be literally fulfilled are never unimportant; for prophecy 
does not descend to trivialties, but deals with vital principles. Details 
in prophecy and fulfilment are but the vehicles of precious truth. They 
are the straws that mark the course of a trade-wind. 



148 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

play: but ou the contrary, in all his demeanor throughout his 
whole ministry, humble, gentle and unpretentious. He was, in 
fact, exactly what this prophecy describes. Probably the ani- 
mal upon which he rode is the least important feature, both of 
the utterance and of the fulfilment; and indeed it was only one 
small indication of the vital and abiding character of the Mes- 
siah, his deep and glorious humility. No grace of his divine 
life more adorned his relations to men and his ministry in their 
behalf than his sympathetic condescension to their lowly estate. 
One item of this prophecy finds no fulfilment 
AnUnfulfilled ^ the truimp hal entry of Jesus into the city of 
Jerusalem. It is the universal dominion which 
is here promised to the coming king. Although the humanity of 
the Messiah has not been emphasized in previous utterances of the 
prophets, this unlimited reach of His sovereignty sounds like an 
echo from the Davidic period. Its reappearance in this place is 
perhaps the more appropriate because it serves to add dignity to 
a prediction which otherwise might less commend the future king- 
to the consideration of his people. 

2. The Restoration of Israel Zech. x. 

In the historical background of this chapter 
The Prophecy. ^ ^^ deai .]y discern the departure of Israel 
from Jehovah to foUow after "teraphim" that have spoken 
vanity, diviners that have seen a lie, and have told false dreams, 
to give comfort in vain. In this account the anger of Jehovah is 
kindled against the shepherds of His flock, and their punishment 
is imminent. Israel is exhorted to ask of Jehovah if she wishes 
to receive blessings; for all the resources of nature, of war and 
of dominion are His. He will send rain and grass in the field and 
victory in battle. He further promises- 

"And I will strengthen the house of Judah, 
And T will save the house of Joseph, 
A ti< I I will bring them back; 
For 1 have mercy upon them; 

Aid they shall be as though I had not east them off; 
For 1 am Jehovah, their God, and I will hear them. 
And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, 
And their heart shall rejoice as through wine; 
Yea, their children shall see it. and rejoice; 
Their bearl shall be glad in Jehovah. 



Content of 



THE REJECTED SHEPHERD. 149 

I will hiss for them, and gather them; 
For I have redeemed them; 

And they shall increase as they have increased. 
And I will sow them among the peoples; 
And they shall remember me in far countries; 
And they with their children shall live, and shall return. 
I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, 
And gather them out of Assyria; 

And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; 
And room shall not be found for them. 
And he will pass through the sea of affliction, 
And will smite the waves in the sea, 
And all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; 
And the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, 
And the scepter of Egypt shall depart. 
And I will strengthen them in Jehovah; 
And they shall walk up and down in his name, 
saith Jehovah." Zeeh. x. 6-12. 

This prediction appears to be closely related 
to those of Amos and Hosea, especially in 
the fact that an exile is foretold which is to be 
followed by a restoration of Israel to the land of their fathers. In 
addition to this, Jehovah here proclaims Himself to be Israel's 
God and deliverer. This implies not only the remarkable con- 
stancy of Jehovah toward His wayward people as in Hosea, but 
also the close and indissoluble relationship between them and 
Himself, evidently pointing to some future consummation of di- 
vine purpose through Israel. What this purpose is, at least in 
part, is made manifest in this passage. It is Jehovah's intent 
that II is people shall be confirmed in their devotion and service 
to Him, and that they shall walk "up and down" — that is, in 
all their ways — in His name. This prophecy compasses only 
God's purpose respecting Israel, because it is His relation to this 
people which is now in jeopardy, and which must precede the 
rescue of the Gentile world from sin. All this is clearly a part 
of the Messianic plan, and by no means an unimportant part. 

3. The Rejected Shepherd. Zeeh. xi. 1-11. 

Occasion ^ we are corrcct H1 thinking that probably 

this part of the book of Zechariah was written 

at a time considerably earlier than the composition of the first 

eight chapters, the most appropriate lime would seem to be in 

the days of Pekah, king of Israel, probably when the invasion of 



150 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Tiglath-Pilezer was at hand, which occurred B. C. 734-732. This 
was not Long before the fall of Samaria (722) and the exile of 
Northern Israel (2 Ki. 15 :28). It is certainly a time of impend- 
ing disaster and desolation ; for the prophet calls npon Lebanon 
to wail for her fallen cedars and Bashan to mourn for the loss of 
her oaks, while the shepherds and even the young lions are to 
languish, because the country is laid waste. Israel is regarded 
by Jehovah as a flock that is being fed for slaughter. 

The prophet records his commission from 
The Prophecy. Jell0yah and its execution as follows : 

"Thus saith Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter; whose pos- 
sessors slav them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell 
them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich; and their own shepherds 
pity them not. For T will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, 
saith Jehovah; but, lo. I will deliver the men every one into his neigh- 
bor's hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, 
and out of their hand I will not deliver them. So I fed the flock of 
slaughter, verily the poor of the flock. And 1 took unto me two staves; 
the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the 
flock. And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul 
was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me. Then I said, I will 
not feed you; that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut 
off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh 
of another. And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I 
might break my covenant which I bad made with all the peoples. And 
it was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that gave 
heed unto me knew that it was the word of Jehovah. And I said unto 
them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they 
weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver. And Jehovah said unto 
me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by 
them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them unto the 
pottci^ in the house of Jehovah. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, 
even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and 
Israel. ' ' 

The prophet here presents himself in the 

Prophet's figure of a shepherd caring for the people of 

Position. ° L . ° . . . 

Israel as a flock. In his prophetic office it was 

his duty to teach and direct the nation. The other shepherds, 

some of whom he dismissed were the religious or political leaders 

of Israel. Clearly the people iu following these leaders had 

rejected Jehovah and II is prophet. It was on account of this 

that Israel was counted as a flock of slaughter, just as a shepherd 

might seled a few of his sheep to be better fed than the rest, that 

they mighl lie soon slaughtered for meat. 



THE REJECTED SHEPHERD. 151 

The prophet seeks to make a deep impression 
Symbolism. upon the minds of his people by presenting his 

instructions in- symbolic form. He takes a staff, 
and calls it Beauty, and then a little later cuts the staff into 
two parts. He interprets this to the people as significant of the 
high estimation in which Jehovah would hold His people if they 
were faithful; but seeing that they have proved disloyal, their 
relationship to Jehovah is to be severed as this staff has been cut 
into two parts. He names another staff Bands to represent the 
original unity of Judah and Israel in the service of God. This 
staff is also cut asunder, and the people are taught that it sig- 
nifies the dissolution of the brotherhood between Judah and 
Israel. It is not probable that this dissolution is deplored 
chiefly on account of the political disruption and division so 
much as because of the departure of Northern Israel from the 
service of Jehovah. It is with the religious character of such 
events that the prophet has to do. 

Again, the prophet called upon the people for 
The Prophet's ,• i , • , ,. , , 

Income. a compensation for his prophetic labors among 

them. They gave him the small sum of thirty 
pieces of silver, doubtless a mere pittance compared with what, he 
should have received. In irony he calls it "the goodly price" at 
which he was estimated by the people. It was as much as to say, 
"This is a magnificent sum for all my labors!" Jehovah tells 
him to pay off the potter who had done some work in the house 
of God; and we are left to infer that the income for all the 
prophet's sacred service was only enough to pay off an insignifi- 
cant potter's bill. The prophet himself disdained to keep the 
money. 

This passage concerning the thirty pieces of 
n\ U the tl0n silver and the P otter is quoted in Matt. 27 :3-10 

New Testament. m connection with the account of Judas the 

betrayer, who. brought back the thirty pieces of 
money which he had received from the chief priests and elders 
for delivering up Jesus to them. The priests regarded it unlaw- 
ful to put this price of blood into the temple-treasury, and there- 
fore determined to purchase a potter's field for a burial ground 
for strangers. Accordingly, Matthew says, "Then was fulfilled 



152 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying. 
And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that 
was priced, whom certain of the children of Israel did price; and 
they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me." 
It cannot lie doubted that Matthew regarded the later event a 
fulfilment of the words in Zechariah; yet the events are not ex- 
actly alike, and the language of the prophet does not indicate 
that his words wen- intended to express a prediction. It is clear 
that the two events present a remarkable coincidence; for the 
amount of money is the same, in each case it was the estimation 
placed on a man. and in each case the money was paid to a potter. 
It is not impossible that this coincidence was divinely intended. 
It is notable that a large number of experiences 

Truth. 6 " 601 in the life of the Messiah are similar to those of 

men of God in former times, and usually the 
gospel writers refer to such coincidences as fulfilments of Old 
Testament passages. It is not unnatural that in the manifold rela- 
of Jesus 'to God ami to man and in hjs varied experiences 
connected with the task of saving the race, he should dnpli 
cate many events that occurred in the several relations and labors 
of the prophets before him who were engaged in saving their na- 
tion from the perils of divine wrath. Such experiences of the 
prophets may have been divinely intended as types of those in 
the life of Christ. He was to consummate their work. Avas to 
share their labors and suffering's, was to live the human life, and 
gather into himself the ills and sorrows of our common nature, 
that in all things he might "be made like unto his brethren." 
In this sense the value of our prophet's words and of the fulfil- 
ment mentioned by Matthew may be estimated, and its divine 
character he discerned. 

4. Isaiah's Commission. Jsa. vi. 

According to Isaiah 1:1, this prophet was 
Isaiah's Labors. ^ g0]Q ()f Alll()Zi w ho is otherwise unknown to 
US, but who is thought to have been connected with the royal 
family of Judah; and this is in part confirmed by the fact that 
most of Isaiah's prophecies appear to have been delivered in 
Jerusalem, and many of them at the king's court, Isaiah 



isaiah's commission. 153 

prophesied "in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, 
kings of Judah. ' ' The first prophecy by this author appears in 
the present paragraph "in the year that king Uzziah died" 
(6 :1),* which is estimated to have been about 740 B. C. ; and the 
last prophecy which may be dated was delivered about 701 B. C. 
How much longer Isaiah continued his labors, we know not ; but 
it is certain that his ministry was a very long and eventful one. 
According to a tradition expressed by Justin Martyr (about 150 
A. D.), the prophet was slain by king Manasseh by being sawn 
asunder. According to 2 Chron. 26 :22, Isaiah wrote in addition 
to his prophecies the lives of Uzziah and Hezekiah. The labors 
of this prophet were mostly directed against a great moral and 
spiritual decline in the Kingdom of Judah, which culminated 
only at the very close of the period in which he is known to us. 
It is probable that for about forty years he faced an irresistible 
current of idolatry and immorality for which the invasion by the 
Assyrians under Sennacherib brought a well deserved punish- 
ment. The present vision occurred when this decline had already 
gained too great a momentum to be checked by the most enthus- 
iastic and able efforts of Isaiah in his best days. The character 
of his commission clearly manifests the degree of perversity al- 
ready reached by the people at the close of Uzziah 's reign. 

TT . Tr . . Isaiah saw a vision of Jehovah seated upon an 

His Vision. . r 

exalted throne m great glory and surrounded 

by seraphim, who spoke to each other in responsive praise, "Holy, 

holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full- of His 

glory." This was followed by an earthquake, and the house was 

filled with smoke. Isaiah was keenly conscious of his unworthi- 

ness 1o stand in such a presence, and exclaimed, "Woe is me! for 

I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell 

in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen 

the King, Jehovah of hosts." Then one of the seraphim touched 

Isaiah's lips with a live coal taken from the altar, and said, 

"Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven." Then he 

*Thc book of Isaiah is not arranged in the chronological order of 
the prophet's work. The vision of Isaiah in chapter vi has every 
appearance of being the call of the prophet to his office, and hence it 
must have preceded the messages in chapters i-v. 



154 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

heard the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for 

To which Isaiah replied, '-Here am I; send me." Then 
followed Jehovah's commission to him, which in all probability 
is the first message that he received from God for his people. The 
vision had deeply impressed him with the dignity and authority 
of Jehovah, which would qualify him for a more faithful service. 
His lips had been touched by fire as a symbol of the purification 
of his speech ;* and the pardon of his sins made him consciously 
the more worthy messenger of God. 

Isaiah is told to go and tell his people, 
His Message. i« Hear ye m a ee d, but understand not; and see 
ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of his people fat,, 
and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see 
with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with 
their heart, and turn again, and be healed. ' ' This is undoubtedly 
an ironical message. He is to tell the people that he is come 
to shut their eyes, which would be the message most likely to 
make them open their eyes. That he should come to stop their 
ears and prevent their understanding the Lord and turning to 
Him, would be best suited to make them listen to the divine mes- 
sage, to consider its meaning and be influenced by its warning. 
Isaiah then asked the Lord how long the people's eyes and ears 
and heart were to be closed against divine truth; and he is told 
that it shall be "until cities be waste without inhabitant, and 
houses without man. and the land become utterly waste, and Je- 
hovah have removed men far away, and the forsaken places be 
many in the midst of the land." This clearly signifies that the 
nation was perverse and corrupt, and that if the people would 
not listen to the advices from heaven they must expect that their 
cities should be overthrown, their houses demolished and their 
land laid waste by an enemy whom Jehovah would bring upon 

*Thc popular idea that the "fire" represented the purification of 
sins, is incorrect. The notion is probably imported into this passage 
from the figure of purifying metale by lire, as in Mai. 3:2, :i; and it 
finds encouragement here by the words which follow in close connection. 
"and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sins forgiven." But these 
words do not explain the touch with the coal, but express an additional 
fact and leave the touch to find its evident explanation in the fact 
that it was the mouth that was to be touched and that the man was to 
become a speaker. 



jehovah's exalted house. 155 

them. Such a message could reasonably be sent only to a nation 

already hardened in sin. 

Another statement by Jehovah is added to 

?i^ t c a » > this commission : ' ' And if there be yet a. 
Holy Seed." ...,.,. 

tenth m it, it also shall m turn be eaten up : as 

a terebinth, and as an oak, whose stock remaineth, when they are 
felled; so the holy seed is the stock thereof." Here the nation 
is compared to a tree which has been felled, but whose stock or 
stump is left standing. While the tree is overthrown and most of 
it carried away, a part of it is permitted to stand. So the nation 
of Judah shall be overthrown and carried away, and yet a part 
of it shall remain undestroyed; and this part will be "the holy 
seed." The Messianic feature of this passage is the prediction 
that the sinful nation shall fall for its iniquity, but not be ut- 
terly destroyed. As in Hosea, Northern Israel should not become 
extinct although carried into captivity, so now Judah will be~ 
preserved only in part, and this part shall be a nucleus of the 
future nation that shall spring from. them. The same Messianic 
purpose stands back of the utterances of both these prophets. 

5. JeJtovali's Exalted House. Isa. ii. 2-4. 

As an encouragement to the people of Judah, 
Isaiah presents a promise for future days that 
contains a beautiful and attractive ideal condition of Jehovah's 
people : 

"And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of 
Jehovah's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and 
shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 
And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the 
mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will 
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion 
shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. And 
he will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many 
peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their 
spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not. lift up sword against nation, 
neither shall they learn war any more." 

This prophecy in almost exactly the same 
Authorship. WQrdg ig found alg0 in Micah 4 . 13 SJ]ioe 

Micah and Isaiah were contemporary prophets, it is not easy to 
say which is the author of the prediction. The connection of the 



156 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

passage with the context is more natural in Micah, which would 
seem to favor that prophet as the author; but Isaiah was by far 
the greater and more original writer, which seems to designate 
him as the probable author. In such a balance of probabilities, 
some have suggested that perhaps both of these prophets copied 
this passage from some older writer unknown to us. Fortunately 
the meaning and value of the utterance are not dependent upon 
dale or authorship. The passage does riot contain historical al- 
lusions, and is purely a prediction of conditions certainly very 
distant in the future. 

As in the case of many other Messianic proph- 

ldeas amC ecies, this message served to encourage the peo- 

ple of Judah to prepare for a more honorable 
and worthy period of personal and national life. The leading 
Messianic items of this prophecy are: (1) Jehovah's house shall 
be established in a conspicuous place among the nations. Clearly 
this hints that the worship of Jehovah will be more widely known 
and exercise a stronger influence among men than heretofore. 

•_' I The Gentiles will seek this exalted house of Jehovah. This 
expresses still more plainly the prevalence of the worship of Je- 
hovah among the nations at some future time. (3) Instruction 
shall go forth from the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem to all 
the peoples of the earth. This is a clear prediction of the exten- 
sive spiritual influence which the Hebrew people will at a later 
time exert among the Gentiles, and points to a time when the 
nations shall be taught concerning Jehovah and learn the kind of 
service that will be well pleasing to Him. This will constitute 
the people of Judah the instructors of the world in religious 
matters. (4) Jehovah's admonition, when made known to all 
nations, will bring universal peace. This contemplates a com- 
plete social, as well as religious, revolution of sentiment through- 
out the world; and emphasizes in a most remarkable manner the 
pacific power of Jehovah's word. 

The ideal character of this prophecy is evi- 
dent: for, in view of the disposition of men and 
nations in Isaiah's day, such a transformation of world-wide ex- 
tint did nut lie within the range of ordinary possibilities. If 
we inquire for a fulfilment of this prophecy in history, we shall 



THE PURIFICATION OF ZION. 157 

be able to trace it only in part, and in our own day find perhaps 
some indications of a still larger fulfilment in the future. Cer- 
tainly the proclamation of the Christian faith went forth 
from Jerusalem immediately after the coronation of the Mes- 
sianic King (Acts ii), and gradually has reached the most dis- 
tant lands. The instruction concerning Jehovah has spread 
abroad among the nations in the preaching of Christ among the 
Gentiles from the days of Paul until this time, and never more 
than at present has this work made progress in the midst of, 
heathen peoples. The present zeal of the church gives some 
prospect of world-wide evangelization. Moreover, the progress 
of the Christian faith has wrought a deep and ever deepening 
disposition in the hearts of many people of influence in the great- 
est of modern nations to dispense with war as a means of adjust- 
ing international differences, and to resort to regular courts of 
arbitration, which affords some prospect of perpetual peace. The 
growth of this sentiment promises a fuller accomplishment of 
the prophet's prediction than men have hitherto seen. We may 
be assured that the natural effect of Christian teaching is per- 
fect peace among men, and if this teaching shall ever prevail in 
all national counsels, the day to which Isaiah looked forward will 
surely dawn. 

6. The Purification of Zion. Isa. iv. 2-6. 

"In that day shall the branch of Jehovah be 
The Text. beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall 

be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of 
[srael. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he 
thai remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that 
is written among the living in Jerusalem; when the Lord shall have 
washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged 
tin- Mood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of justice, 
and by the spirit of burning. And Jehovah will create over the whole 
habitation of Alt. Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by 
day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory 
shall !)'• spread :i covering. And there shall be a pavilion for a shade 
in the day-time from the heat, and for a refuge and for a covert from 
storms ;iinl from rain." 

m . ,,_ . ,, The "branch," better translated "growth" * 
The Branch." ' ° ' 

as here predicted cannot be regarded as a per- 

Canon George Eawlinson" (Pulpit Com.) attempts to defend the view 
that the "branch" here is the Messiah; because the same word is used 



158 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

son and applied to the Messiah; for it is in parallelism with 
''the fruit of the land," which must refer to the products of 
the soil. With this the context, which describes not the work 
of the ''branch" as a person, but the work of Jehovah, is in 
full accord. The beauty and glory of Judah's products in con- 
trast with former desolations will be appropriate rewards for a 
cleansed and consecrated people; for in Isaiah's day the city 
of Jerusalem is full of vice and perversity of heart, which must 
be cleansed away until only a remnant of the population be 
left; and he predicts that this remnant shall be called "holy," 
because the spirit of God shall inflict justice and burn out the 
corrupt ion of the city. 

After the cleansing of Jerusalem, Jehovah is 
and Covering *° create over the whole city and its population 
"a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of 
a flaming fire by night," which reminds the reader of the cloud 
by day and pillar of fire by night which manifested the presence 
of Jehovah together with His guidance and protection with 
Israel when in the wilderness in the days of Moses. The proba- 
bility that the prophet borrows this figure from the earlier his- 
tory of his people requires us to interpret the cloud and fire in 
this prophecy as symbols of Jehovah's presence with the city 
both for consolation and protection. To these also and over all 
the glory of them, shall be added "a covering." This probably 
means a sort of tabernacle spread over the city to represent in 
a metaphor that the city was to dwell in a tent of Jehovah as a 
place of refuge from all dangers. While these figures appear 
somewhat crude to our modern thought, they were in accord with 
the picturesque ideas of the ancient Hebrews, and the more so 
because of the constant use of tents by the oriental people in 
and around Palestine. The presence and protection of Jehovah 
were very important elements in the future prosperity of the 
holy city. 

in Zech. 3:8 and 6:12 for a person presumably the Messiah, and likewise 
in Jer. 23:5 and 33:15. Even Isaiah himself in 11:1-5, using another 
Hebrew word for "branch," applies it to the Messiah. It must be 
replied that these passages, however clear they may be themselves, 
ought not to be employed to interpret the present use of the word 
against its own context. 



THE PURIFICATION OF ZION. 159 

The features of this prophecy that may be 
Messianic regarded as Messianic are the following: 

The* 1 " Branch " ^ ^ some future time ' ' the Branch of Jeho- 
vah shall be beautiful and glorious." Since this 
is a reward of Jehovah's favor to Judah, it pictures future 
prosperity as springing up fresh and glorious out of the old deso- 
lations brought on by the sins of the people like the sprouting of 
young trees in a wasted forest. 

Fruitfulness ^ ^ ie f ru itfulness of the land looks for- 

ward to the continued blessing with which Je- 
hovah was to reward Judah for faithful and devoted service. It 
is that natural prosperity which inevitably follows an industrious 
and honorable life, and which therefore attends a thoroughly 
Christian civilization. 

(3) Jehovah will cleanse and sanctify His 
sSificftfo 1 ^ P e °ple. The cleansing refers to the forgiveness 

of sins, because it was the moral filth of Jerusa- 
lem that is described by the prophet throughout the context in 
which this prophecy is found. The holiness of the people does 
not necessarily imply absolute sinfulness/ since that ideal must 
be unattainable in a life attended by the necessary weaknesses 
and limitations of men in the flesh ; but it signifies a consecration 
of the people to the work and ways of Jehovah. This is shown 
by the frequent use of the word in connection with the priest- 
hood of Israel and their devotion to the service of God at the 
altar and in the temple. Such cleansing and sanctification are 
attained by voluntary acceptance of Christ by his people, so that 
the whole people of God in the Christian age may thoroughly 
enjoy these privileges. In the case of every individual the sins 
of the former life are purged away by appropriating the blood 
of Christ. "While the city of Jerusalem may have secured the 
divine favor at some time before the coming of the Messiah, 
surely it never became so acceptable and so devoted to Jehovah 
as the Christian may become, and hence never so well fulfilled 
this prophecy. 

(4) Consequent to the sacred relations be- 
of 6 God Ce tween Jehovah and His people just noted, is the 

promise of the divine presence, guidance and 






160 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

protection. The value of this promise is seen in the necessity of 
the divine favor in the affairs of men to protect them in the times 
of temptation as promised in the New Testament, to direct the in- 
dividual life when national laws and human counsels are faulty or 
uncertain, and to support the hopes and aspirations of the people 
of God in their arduous and often discouraging work of evangel- 
izing and saving the world. Such a presence of God is far more 
important and precious than that which attended Israel in the 
wilderness. 

7. Immanuel. Isa. vii. 10-17. 

This prophecy was uttered in the days of 

Situation. Ahaz - kin £ of Judall > at a time wlien Rezin, the 

king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel were 
forming an alliance against Ahaz, to compel him to join them in 
a military campaign against the king of Assyria, with the intent 
to overthrow Assyrian domination west of the river Euphrates. 
Ahaz was greatly alarmed, and was about to send an embassy 
to the king of Assyria asking him for an alliance with Judah 
against Rezin and Pekah. This was probably about 735 B. C. 
Isaiah under divine direction persistently advised Ahaz not to 
form an alliance with Assyria, because it would result in such 
complications with the greedy Assyrians as would certainly prove 
embarrassing to Judah in the future; but that it would be better 
to depend upon Jehovah for the overthrow of the allied enemy. 
Such was the political situation when Isaiah and his son went out 
of the city of Jerusalem to the upper pool of the Gihon valley to 
converse with King Ahaz concerning his reliance upon Jehovah. 
Isaiah urges that the alliance of his enemies will not prevail 
against Ahaz, if he will trust in Jehovah; but that both Syria 
and Ephraim shall be defeated, and that within sixty-five years 
Ephraim shall be so badly broken that it shall cease to be a 

people. 

King Ahaz had so little faith in a deliverance 
The Prediction. by J( . hovah that he was iniw iHi ng to follow 

Isaiah's advice, and hence Isaiah brought on this conversation: 

"Ask thee :i sign "i' Jehovah thy God; ask it either in the depth, 
or in tin- height above. Hut Ahaz naid, I will not ask, neither will 1 



IMMANUEL. 161 

tempt Jehovah. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a 
small thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my God also? 
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall 
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter 
and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose 
the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose 
the good, the land whose two kings thou abhorrest shall be forsaken. 
Jehovah will bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy 
father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephrairn 
departed from Judah — even the king of Assyria. ' ' 

From this it is clear that Isaiah was offering a miraculous- 
sign to Ahaz to prove that Jehovah was ready to sustain his ad- 
vice. Although Ahaz does not believe, he is so stubborn that 
he will not ask for a sign, but pretends that he does not wish to* 
put Jehovah to a test. Isaiah responds that the course pursued 
by Ahaz wearied the patience of both man and God; but that 
Jehovah would give Ahaz a sign, whether he asked it or not. 
It is in this connection that Isaiah introduces the prophecy con- 
cerning the virgin. 

Isaiah informs Ahaz that before a young wo- 

Immanuel. man sna11 bear a son and tlie cm ld come to know 

good from evil the two hostile kings shall be 
overthrown. The child shall be named Immanuel, meaning 
God-with-us, as a monument of Isaiah's prophecy that Je- 
hovah is with Judah for her protection. But since Ahaz is de- 
termined to send for the Assyrians, they will surely come, and 
will desolate the land of Judah so thoroughly that the child will 
have nothing but curdled milk and honey for subsistence. The 
bringing of the Assyrians shall be the worst calamity that has 
befallen Judah since the day of the division of the kingdom under 
Rehoboam. Such seems to be the fitness of the prophecy at the 
time it was delivered. 

New Testament In mtL 1 :2 °" 23 * PErt ° f this V™?^ » 

Application. quoted and applied to the virgin Mary and the 

child Jesus. After relating the announcement 

by the angel to Joseph concerning the conception by the Holy 

Spirit and the birth of the child, he adds, 

"Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin 
shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his- 
name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us." 



162 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

From this it is evident that Matthew regards the birth of 
Jesus as a fulfilment of this prophecy; but the sense in which 
it is a fulfilment requires some attention. The following views 
have been proposed: 

(1) Some scholars hold that Isaiah spoke 
Prediction. directly concerning Mary and Jesus, and that 

he did not have in view any mother and 
child in the days of Ahaz. It is generally held along with 
this view that Isaiah meant strictly a virgin, and hence foretold 
necessarily a miraculous birth. Certainly the word used by 
Isaiah (almah) does not exclude the idea of a married woman; 
for he could readily have used another word (bcthulah) which 
would have signified a virgin and left no ambiguity. The word 
here used simply means a young woman, whether married or un- 
married.* The context of the passage in Isaiah clearly indicates 
that the child of whom the prophet spoke was to be a sign to 
Ahaz. and that before it should discriminate between good and 
evil the two hostile kings were to be overthrown. The birth of 
Jesus could be no sign to Ahaz, and could afford no indication 
of date of the enemies' defeat. These facts are adverse, if not 
fatal to this view. 

*The view that the Hebrew word in this passage means strictly a 
virgin is defended by Canon Eawlinson (Pulpit Com.). His points are: 
1. The word is so used in all other passages. But Prov. 30:19; Song 
6:8 are very doubtful. 2. The LXX. translates by the word parthenos, 
which means a virgin. But even that word is sometimes used for a 
married woman (see Liddel and Scott 's Lex.) ; and we may not forget 
that while the LXX. uses parthenos, all the other early Greek trans- 
lations of the O. T. have neanis, meaning a young woman married or 
unmarried. 3. The announcement here requires the meaning virgin to 
be worthy of the grand prelude: "The Lord himself shall give you a 
sicrn — BehoM!" But such a prelude is fully justified by Isaiah's expecta- 
tion- regarding the child Immanuel (cf. 8:8; 9:6,7), without assuming 
thai the virginity of the mother was the matter of astonishment. Indeed 
the serious weakness of most interpretations of this prophecy is the 
heavy emphaBis laid on the mother instead of the child. It is not the 
woman that lias any part in the context of this utterance, or that reap- 
pears in any way in related predictions; nor in the context has the 
character of the birth any bearing on the prediction about the hostile 
kings. Even as a wonder, the virginity or the mother could be to Ahaz 
only an event of doubtful character. These remarks have no bearing 
against the miraculous conception of Jesus, which rests on very different 
grounds. 



IMMANTJEL. 163 

Not Messianic. ^ 0ther inter P reters nold that tlle Proph- 

ecy is intended only to furnish a sign to Ahaz 
that Isaiah's political advices were ordered by Jehovah, and 
that the prophet did not have any reference at all to the Mes- 
sianic events recorded in Matthew. According to this view, the 
name Immanuel has no significance connected with the Messiah, 
but arose because the mother of such a child in the days of Ahaz 
in a time of peril would naturally give her child this name ex- 
pressive of her hope that Jehovah would rescue His people from 
the danger threatened by Syria and Ephraim. Against this view 
some urge that Isaiah plainly implies the devastation of Judah, 
and hence that Jehovah was not with that people ;* for he says 
that the child shall eat butter and honey when he comes to choose 
between good and evil, which means that by that time the country 
will be in such a plight that the child will have nothing else to 
eat. The force of this objection has constrained some critics to 
reject Isa. 7 :15 from the text. This view certainly sets at naught 
the teaching of Matthew altogether. 

T . al (3) Others regard the prophecy as typical. 

The young woman and the child lived in the 
days of Ahaz, and were a sign to the king; and although the 
country of Judah was desolated by the Assyrian army as Isaiah 
foretold, yet God was with His people in saving them from utter 
destruction, which was notably manifested when the army of Sen- 
nacherib was stricken by the hand of Jehovah when Jerusalem 
was almost ready to surrender (2 Kings 19:35). All of this, 
however, was a type of the Messianic birth and the presence of 
God in Christ for the spiritual rescue of His people. According 
to Hi is, Matthew records not a literal fulfilment, but the antitype 
of the prophetic events in the days of Isaiah. 

(4) It is certainly more in harmony with all 

v°ieT ehenSiVe of the facts suggested both in Isaiah and in 
Matthew to hold that the spirit of Jehovah 

*It is clear, however, that Jehovah was to be with Judah if Ahaz 
would accept the divine advice; and shall we not reasonably understand 
that even if Ahaz should remain stubborn, Jehovah would preserve the 
nation, though He might punish the unfaithful kingdom with desolation? 
Note that, as argued below, the evident relation of this passage to 8:8 
and 9:6, 7 shows that Jehovah, through fortune or misfortune, was to be 
with Judah. 



]()4 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

framed the prophecy for Isaiah, whether the prophet understood 

'■ no so as to present to Ahaz the required sign and proof 
hat Isaiah s message was of God, and yet so as to include the 
\ essill u he presence of God with men in the incarnated 
&vTr In tins view a child Immanuel was well known to Ahaz 
to periods of Ins life mark the events which Isaiah foretold 
t 1c k nV and vet this child was really only a pledge of the 

eal imoum 1 of' whom the Spirit spoke, and to whom Isaiah 
atah <"l d,s when he speaks of an army "the stretching out of 
Se wSS shall fill the breadth of thy land Immanuel 

8 8) « TOe name signifies that Jehovah is with His people and 
it ' t m, r.f Messianic thought is that God will continue 
wTttf H P Tim immanuel in the days of Ahaz, who was 

v name fpledge and monument of Jehovah's preservation of 
Jm a when hat nation might have been obliterated by her ene- 
Judah wnen in t t ft which the coming of 

Z Mo2.i stld ^ylsSblh in fulfilment of the main idea 
f t his prophecy, namely, that God .witliu. ^ ^ £ ^ 

Emphasis on Mess iah, lie must have expected him to appear 
the Child. i mm ediately; then in subsequent predictions he 

* Thifl apostrophe to ^^,^^^^5^^ 

fce should be more thai, an ordinary chiM ^ ^ ^^ , 

and if we connect it w th the » P^ remains mtle room for a. doubt 
derful Counsellor (Isa. ».b, 'J- . th child to b e born in the 

that the prophet expected the Messm* in vii viii and ix are 

days of Ah ? . The ^^P^Tprediet the birth of a child, and 
linked together, the fiist and t ir « f el> The Messianic character 

the first and second «^ * e ^"^ and the immediate time-limit of 
&"*** evTde^ y y et%nre ti rno necessary inconsistency m the 



THE WONDERFUL COUNSELLOR. 165 

lation to the historical situation at the time or to the events that 
were to follow; and in Matthew but little is said of the mother, 
while the whole book is devoted to the life and work of the child. 
The virginity of the mother was not at all necessary to secure a 
clear and convincing sign to Ahaz, nor did it have any signifi- 
cance relating to the national events that were about to occur in 
his day. It was the child, bearing the name Immanuel, that signi- 
fied the presence of God with the people then; and although 
Spirit-begotten and virgin-born, it is the child Immanuel rather 
than the mother that makes manifest the presence of God with 
men in the Messianic age. He is the one emphatic object of 
prophecy. All others are incidental and comparatively unim- 
portant. 

8. The Wonderful Counsellor. Isa. ix. 1-7. 

Occasion ^ us * De ^ ore tne Assyrian king Tiglath-Pilezer 

captured Galilee in 734 B. C. (2 Kings 15:29), 
deep gloom fell over Northern Israel. The Assyrians were vic- 
torious in Syria, and greatly displeased with the rebellion of 
Israel, which now had no sufficient army to repel the invader. 
In the midst of this distress and darkness Isaiah promises light 
to the very districts in which the shadow is deepest. He predicts 
that whereas the nation is about to be diminished, it shall after- 
wards be multiplied; that in contrast with its sorrows, it shall 
rejoice as men gathering a rich harvest, or as soldiers dividing 
spoil ; and instead of the yoke of tyranny and the rod of oppres- 
sion,, their deliverance and peace shall be so marked that it will 
be as if all the weapons of war and military uniforms should 
be burned up because no longer needed. This happy change is 
based upon Isaiah's Messianic forecast, which he expresses as 
follows : 

predictions. The Messianic Immanuel was divinely assm-ed; and the 
prophet no doubt vainly expected him in the sign of Ahaz, and hence 
(in 8:8) the solemn "0 Immanuel." The prophet's misapprehension 
w;is neither a fault nor a false prophecy, but a limitation (see I. Peter 
1:10-12). Even the limitation was not serious; for the child under Ahaz 
signified the presence of God with .Tudah, just as the Messiah demon- 
strates His presence with the world. The prophet rightly understood 
the vital truth, God is with us. 



166 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

'•For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given; and the gov- 
ernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shaU be called Won- 
derful, Counsellor. Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, 
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to establish it, and 
to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even 
for ever. The zeal' of Jehovah of hosts will perform this. 

The form of this prophecy may be due to an 
Form of the implied contrast between the ruler who is about 

Prophecy. ^ _^.^ . q ^^ &nd the Asgyrian lea der who 

has brought so much distress. Tiglath-Pilezer was a remarkable 
counsellor, since his counsels in war rarely failed; he was a 
mighty one. as had been proved by his success; he was 
a master of booty (the Hebrew will admit of either translation, 
Everlasting Father or Father of. booty) ; and he was a prince 
of war. The ruler whose coming Isaiah foretells will be far more 
wonderful in counsel, will have the might of God, will be the father 
of eternitv. and will be pre-eminently a prince of peace. In 
every respect he will be superior to the Assyrian king and an 
object of admiration instead of dread. 

It need hardly be said that such a person did 
Value of not appear i n that age; but this prediction so 

the Prophecy. el(?av]y poiuted tQ SQme futur(? pers0 nage as 

that it had much to do with planting the hope in the .Hebrew- 
mind that sometime God would raise up for His people a great 
deliverer. Isaiah's Contemporaries could hardly expect a child 
yet unborn to grow up to manhood in time to meet the present 
oppressor; yet they must have thought of a leader who sooner 
or later would lie able, not only to rescue from Assyrian domin- 
ation, but to save his people from other oppressions.* They 
must have discovered from the language of Isaiah that he*did not 
refer to any ordinary human ruler. The titles that he was to wear 
are extraordinary and divine: and especially it could not be true 

*It is no unwarranted deception if a prophet puts his prediction of 
;1 far-off evenl in a form that gives courage and comfort to his own 
general ion. He sets no date, and seeks no advantage of his hearer; but 
rather inspires an expectation that strengthens his countrymen for crises 
through whirl, a despairing nation could never pass Indeed, the Hebrew 
prophet alone has the distinction of unintentionally holding his people 
to a distant goal, and thereby saving them 6rst from hopelessness and 
then from extinction. 



THE SHOOT OF THE STOCK OF JESSE. 167 

of any strictly human ruler that "of the increase of his govern- 
ment and of peace there should be no end. ' ' This clearly affirms 
that he is to have perpetual dominion and unlimited authority. 
Even more than this, he is to have David's throne and king- 
dom, and by his righteousness to establish the royal power of 
David from the date of his advent to the end of time. This can- 
not mean that he should become the leader of a dynasty of 
kings, or that he should secure the favor of God upon the Davidic 
dynasty so that it should never be discontinued, for either of 
these things David had already himself accomplished. The 
meaning can be only that this coming Ruler will himself enjoy 
an everlasting reign. Such predictions are applicable only to 
the Messiah as revealed to us in the New Testament. He be- 
came a king, was a descendant of David, had divine power, se- 
cured a perpetual dominion, and in righteousness established 
the Davidic throne forever. 

It seems almost certain that this personage is 
Connection the same as the Immanuel of Isaiah 8:8, who is 

Immanuel. addressed as the one to whom the Holy Land 

belongs. If this be true, there would seem also 
to be some connection with the prophecy concerning the virgin's 
son (7:14). These connections suggest that the prophecy given 
to Ahaz had much more than a temporal significance ; and that 
the Spirit by whose enlightenment the prophet utters this predic- 
tion concerning the future ruler must have intended the words 
spoken to Ahaz to be more than a faint hint of the Messianic 
deliverer. With all these passages before us it is certainly not 
difficult to .find traces of the divine purpose which has been ful- 
filled in Christ. 

9. The Shoot of the Stock of Jesse. Isa. xi. 

"And there shall come forth a shoot out of the 
The Text. stock of Jesse, an d a branch out of his roots shall bear 

fruit: and the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, 
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, 
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah; and his delight shall 
he in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his 
eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness 
shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; 
and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the 






^g THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

breath of Lis lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall he 
the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. 

This was probably written about the year 701 
Appropriate B q ? j ust before the invasion of Judah by the 

to the Time. Assyr ' ian kin g 7 Sennacherib. Isaiah foretells 
the coming of the Assyrians in the previous chapter, but says that 
however lofty they may be, they shall be brought low ; though 
they may be like the boughs of the cedar forests in Lebanon, they 
shall be' lopped off and hewn down, never to sprout up again. 
On the other hand, although the house of Jesse shall fall when 
Judah shall be carried into captivity, yet a remnant of the royal 
family shall remain like the stump of an oak tree that has been 
felled.* It is out of this remaining part of Jesse's family that one 
shall rise like a shoot from a stump, and as a fruitful branch 
shall accomplish much in the name of Jehovah. The coming of 
the Assyrians will lie a time of despair, but the Assyrians are to 
be hopelessly overthrown. Judah, however, although undergoing 
great loss, shall recover, and under the leadership of a future 
descendant of Jesse shall walk in the fear and service of Jehovah. 
The character and power of this future leader 
Character of ag i lic iicatecl by the prophet mark him as an ex- 
the Shoot. traor dinary person. The Spirit of Jehovah will 

rest upon him, he shall be 'very wise and intelligent, he shall be 
shrewd in counsel and strong in execution, he shall delight to 
reverence Jehovah, he shall judge with impartiality, shall vindi- 
cate the poor and humble in their pleas for justice, and shall by 
the word of his authority overthrow the wicked. These seven 
points of perfection were not united in any descendant of Jesse 
from the days of Isaiah to the coming of the Messiah; and m no 
other than the Messiah has this combination appeared. Moreover, 
the character well corresponds to the name Immanuel already in- 
troduced by Ibis prophet; and i1 can hardly be questioned that 

•The presenl passage must be understood in keeping with 6:13, where 
the oak tree is the representative of the "holy seed, and with 10:33, 
34 where the cedars of Lebanon are the emblem of the Assyrians The 
oak when felled, sprouts up again; butthe cedar when ei it down, has no 
recovery So the house of David may be deprived of its throne, but it 
Will regain its power; but the Assyrians our,, overthrown Will pass to 
an endless oblivion. 



THE SHOOT OF THE STOCK OF JESSE. 169 

in this passage the writer refers to the same person as he whom 
he has already called a Wonderful Counsellor. 

The reign of this divine ruler will partake of 
of Peace 811 n * s own extraordinary character, and is thus 

described by the prophet : 

"And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, 

And the leopard shall lie down with the kid; 

And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; 

And a little child shall lead them. 

And the cow and the bear shall feed; 

Their young ones shall lie down together; 

And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 

And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, 

And the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; 

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, 

As the wate.s cover the sea." 

This is clearly an allegorical picture of a time of peace 
among men. Even though the prophet may intend to present 
a poetical review of a more peaceful state of nature, he must 
mean that there will come to pass this better condition of the 
world under the highest form of human civilization. It is not im- 
probable that Isaiah poetically views the natural world as par- 
taking of the violent and cruel character of man in his days, and 
foresees the time when nature shall be conformed to a gentler 
and more peaceful spirit in humanity. This better day is to 
come under the reign of that ruler who is to be influenced by 
the Spirit of Jehovah. The correctness of his foresight is be- 
ginning to be apparent in our own day ; for as Christian civiliza-^ 
tion advances cruelty is repressed, a spirit of love and mercy cul- 
tivated, and gradually even the animal creation ceases to be 
feared, and its rapacious nature is subdued. It is not impossible, 
however, as some interpret this passage, that these several ani- 
mals were designed by the author to represent men of a corres- 
ponding disposition, and that the influence of the Messianic Ruler 
shall so change the hearts of the most savage persons that they 
shall be prepared to mingle harmoniously with the most innocent 
and defenceless of their fellowmen. The Christian missionary 
today constantly beholcls Ibis change coming about. 



170 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Another feature of this descendant of Jesse 
Glo S ^ ahS appears in v. 10, in which the prophet says: 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that as 
for the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto 
him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious." 

This prediction contemplates the Messiah as a conspicuous 
object standing in full view of the nations of the earth, and so 
awakening their attention as to cause them to search into the 
meaning of his presence. This for* tells a universal interest in 
the Messiah and promises that the nations shall earnestly desire 
to understand the secret of his power. It further promises that 
he shall attain to a glorious position. Thus agflin. as in former 
periods of the prophecy, the universality and glory of the Mes- 
sianic king are announced. 

Apparently in connection with this prophecy 
Return of - g g} ven a i so a promise of a return of a remnant 

Captives of Jehovah's people from various nations among 

whom they are about to be scattered. This is expressed as fol- 
lows : 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his 
hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that 
shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and 
from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and 
from the islands of the sea. And he will set up an ensign for the na- 
tions, and will assemble the outcasts of Ismel, and gather together the 
dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also 
of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex Judah shall be cut off: 
Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah sLpU III I vex Ephraim." 

Judah's captivity is here regarded as equally certain with 
that of Israel; but while many will be destroyed, a faithful rem- 
nant shall return to their former country. Th.i !: second time" 
that Jehovah will set His hand to recover His people, refers to the 
deliverance from Egypt in the days of Moses as the first time 
(cf. v. 16). The return here described implies that Israel and 
Judah that have long been divided shall be reunited in peace. 
By means of this union they are also to overcome their enemies 
round about them. This is but a repetition of the prophecy of 
Hosea 1:11, and shows the attitude of the prophets toward the 
division of the Hebrew people. 



THE CONVERSION OF THE NATIONS. 171 

The Messianic features of this chapter may 
Features. be noted as f ollows : ( 1 ) A person from the family 

of Jesse shall arise asa" Shoot out of his stock, ' ' 
who shall be an ideal character among men and perform an ideal 
work. Since the Messiah is the only historic personage that ap- 
proaches this ideal, and since he fulfils it perfectly, it is reason- 
able to interpret the prediction as directly descriptive of him. 
(2) An ideal government shall be instituted in the earth under 
a perfectly just judge, who is also identical with the "Shoot" 
of Jesse. (3) An ideal state of the world's peace is here pre- 
dicted, which shall be so notable that even the wild animals of 
the earth shall seem to enter into harmony with it. (4) The 
knowledge of Jehovah shall abound in the earth as the waters 
fill the sea. This cannot relate to anything connected with the 
Exile or a return from captivity; neither can it find any fulfil- 
ment before the opening of the Christian era, A fulfilment is 
in prospect only by the promulgation of the gospel of Christ 
throughout the world. -(5) This offspring of the house of David 
shall be made conspicuous among men, so that he shall attract the 
interest of all nations, and they shall seek to come unto him. 
This yearning after him shall result in his attainment of great 
glory. (6) After the dispersion of Judah among the nations, a 
remnant shall be gathered together, and be reunited with 
Ephraim in a bond of perpetual peace. 

10. The Turning of the Nations to Jehovah. 

"In that time shall a present be brought unto 

Conversion of Jehovah of hosts from a people tall and smooth, even 

Ethiopians. from a people terrible from their beginning onward, 

a nation that meteth out and treadeth down, whose 

land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts, 

the mount of Zion. " Isa. xviii. 7. 

These words are uttered concerning the people of Ethiopia,* 

*The Ethiopia of that day was probably not farther removed from 
Egypt than our modern Soudan, and embraced the region extending 
from the first cataract of the Nile southward presumably not beyond 
Khartoum. Cf. Ezek. 29:10. The people of that land from the days 
of Herodotus even to this time, have been notably tall and handsome. 
More than once (2 Chr. 12:3; 14:9-13) the Israelites had met these "ter- 
rible" men in battle; and they knew how they were accustomed to mete 
out with a measuring line the lands o'f the conquered and to trod down 
their antagonists in war. 



172 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

who are named and similarly described in vv. 1. 2. In figurative 
terms it is here affirmed that they shall become tributary to Je- 
hovah's government. In the nature of the divine government, 
tribute can be brought to Jehovah only by persons who acknowl- 
edge Him as God, and who desire to serve Him. This implies 
a religious conversion, which could not take place to any con- 
siderable extent under Jewish influence before the Messianic 
advent. 

"In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah 
Egypt and in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar al 

Assyria. the border thereof to Jehovah. And it shall be for 

a sign and for a witness unto Jehovah because of op- 
pressors, and he will send them a savior, and a defender, and he will 
deliver them. And Jehovah shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyp- 
tians shall know Jehovah in that day; yea, they shall worship with sac- 
rifice and oblation, and shall vow a vow unto Jehovah, and shall per- 
form it. And Jehovah will smite Egypt, smiting and healing; and they 
shall return unto Jehovah, and he will be entreated of them, and will 
heal them. In that day there shall be a highway out of Egypt to 
Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian 
into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians. In 
that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a bless- 
ing in the midst of the earth; for that Jehovah of hosts hath blessed 
them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my 
hands, and Israel mine inheritance." Isa. xix. 19-25. 

Two other great nations are here represented as turning to 
Jehovah, and as being received and blessed by Him. An altar 
and a pillar are to be built unto Jehovah in Egypt, which evi- 
dently is designed to express a willing worship of Jehovah by 
this nation. In response to this and because of their former 
oppressions, Jehovah will send to them a savior and deliverer. 
Taking into account the fact that the present picture of Egypt's 
future loyalty to Jehovah will include not merely an outward 
demonstration of altars and monuments, but also sacrifice, ob- 
lation, vows and the performance of vows, it is evident that a 
thorough religious revolution in favor of the service of Jehovah 
is contemplated. Such a revolution did not occur and could 
not occur by any influences that operated before the coming of 
Christ. The fact that prominent nations of Isaiah's day are 
chosen for these predictions of national conversion, suggests that 
these are Darned merely as samples of the nations of the, world, 
and that we really have here prophecies that imply the conversion 



THE CONVERSION OF THE NATIONS. 173 

of the race under Christian instruction. It is certain that at 
the time that this prediction was made the prophet did not 
behold influences sufficient to accomplish these things. This is 
true whether Isaiah or some other person may have been the 
author. 

Connected with this turning to Jehovah by 
Relations these nations, will be a corresponding change 

with respect to each other. The Egyptians and 
Assyrians, Avho have long been intensely hostile to each other, 
will enter into the freest and friendliest communications. Even 
their worship, which has always been radically different, will 
become the same, and the one nation will mingle with the other 
in divine service. Not only so, but these two will form a friend- 
ly association with Israel, so that Jehovah's blessings will be 
equally distributed among the three, each of whom the Lord will 
call His own. Assyria, however, fell about 606 B. C, never to rise 
again; and up to that time no such change as is here described 
took place. While it is true that under Alexander the Great all 
these countries were brought under one dominion, it is not true 
that the nation of Assyria in any proper sense had a part. It 
seems reasonable to understand only that these nations represent 
the nations of the earth that shall exist at the time when the uni- 
fying influence of Christianity shall bring them to fraternal re- 
lations and to the service of the same God.* 

The value of these prophecies may be seen 

P?ophecfes! heSe not on ^ v in tne ni £ n ic * eal wmcl1 they place be- 
fore the nations, but also in the long reach of 
vision into the blessing of universal service to Jehovah. (1) 
The prediction rising above the military spirit and custom of 
the nations in adjusting all differences at the point of the sword, 
presents a vision of universal peace. It is most remarkable that 

*George Eawlinson in the Pulpit Commentary, holds that an initial 
stage in the fulfilment was reached from the days of Alexander to Christ 
by the location of the Hebrews in three great groups, the Palestian, the 
Egyptian and the Syro-Babylonian, and by the transmission of ecclesi- 
astical regulations formed at Jerusalem to Alexandria and Babylon, and 
the return of collections from these places to Jerusalem. He deems the 
preaching of the gospel of Christ to the lands of Egypt, Libya, Parthia, 
Media, Elam and Mesopotamia as "as the more complete fulfilment." 



174 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

a prophet unaccustomed to international amity, and especially 
in a period of military commotion and struggle for national su- 
premacy, should entertain and announce a prospect of commer- 
cial and religious peace and fellowship among the nations. (2) 
It is very notable that the prophet should anticipate a time 
when such obstacles to national unity as a diversity of languages 
(v. 18), oppressions (v. 20), and ignorance of Jehovah (v. 21), 
should be removed. These barriers had never been absent since 
the nations were established, and there was no natural prospect 
in Isaiah's day that they would ever be dislodged. It would 
seem that only a supernatural foresight of the pacific influence 
of Christianity upon the nations could have prevailed upon the 
mind of the prophet to compose these predictions. (3) The 
blessing which shall come to the nations through Israel is to be 
broad, liberal, unsectional and universal. This is a most mag- 
nificent outlook for Israel and a most hopeful vision of the 
world's future. Although under Christian teaching modern na- 
tions have come into more friendly relations than in former 
times, men are hardly yet prepared to entertain so optimistic 
an outlook; and it is much more surprising that Isaiah should 
have made this announcement in the midst of the gloom of his 
unpromising period. Nevertheless, he touched the key that must 
unlock the hidden blessing of these nations when he based the 
whole prediction upon the universal acceptance of Jehovah as 
God. No other event could work so great a revolution; and this 
could not occur except through the proclamation of the gospel 
of the Messiah. 

11. The Corner-stone. Isa. xxviii. 14-18; Psalm cxviii. 
22, 23. 

The historical setting of Isaiah's prophecy 
£tettinff Cal concerning the Corner-stone is manifest from 

the earlier verses of this chapter. It was a 
time when Northern Israel, here called Ephraim, was reeling 
with dissipation and violence, and fast verging upon that fate 
which befell the nation about 722 B. C. Isaiah condemns the 
drunkenness of the leaders of Ephraim, and predicts that the 
crown of their pride shall be trodden under foot, that their 



THE CORNER-STONE. 175 

"beauty of which they boasted was but a fading flower or a first- 
ripe fig quickly to be swallowed up. Turning to the men of 
Judah, he reproaches them in similar terms, pointing to the fact 
that priest and prophet together were staggering with strong 
drink and erring both in prophecy and in judgment. But they 
reproached him with annoying them again and again with Je- 
hovah's messages, "precept upon precept, precept upon precept, 
line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, there a little ; ' '- -bab- 
ble, babble, babble. But Isaiah responds that Jehovah will hereaf- 
ter deliver His babble, babble, by means of a hostile army, "by 
men of strange lips and with another tongue;" and then they 
shall ' ' fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. ' ' 

^ . „ r , It is under these circumstances that the fol- 
Kulers Warned. ., 

lowing is uttered: 

""Wherefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scoffers, that rule this 
people that is in Jerusalem: Because ye have said, We have made a 
covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the 
overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for 
we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid our- 
selves: therefore saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a 
foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure 
foundation: he that believeth shall not be in haste. And I will make 
justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall 
sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hid- 
ing-place. And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your 
agreement with Sheol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge 
shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it." 

In very strong terms he here pictures the recklessness of 
the people of Judah. Their "covenant with death" was simply 
their disbelief that death would overtake them as a punishment 
for their sins;* hence their disregard of the numerous warn- 
ings from Jehovah sent through His prophet. Isaiah charges them 
with having made lies their refuge, and with expecting that 
falsehood would be a protection against an overflowing calamity. 

*It may hardly be doubted that an allusion is made by the word 
"covenant" to a treasonable complicity with Egypt against the 
Assyrians. Samaria had been for years subject to Assyria; but, misled 
by the falsehoods of Egyptian embassadors, had become a traitor to 
Assyria, and at the moment of this prophecy was suffering from an 
Assyrian invasion that a little later resulted in the fall of the capital 
and the exile of Northern Israel. 



176 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The "Stone" * n eontrast ^th ^ e va i n security that the 

men of Judah had found in the prevarications 
of their false prophets, Isaiah announces that Jehovah will lay 
in Zion, a foundation stone, tried, precious and safe, upon 
which men may stand without fear or danger. This corner- 
stone can hardly refer to the law of Moses since that was not 
laid in Zion, but at Sinai. Neither can it refer to the advices 
of Jehovah to the people of Judah uttered from time to time 
by the prophets, for many of these were announced in the 
Northern kingdom ; and many had already been laid down before 
this promise was given. Since it refers to something beside the 
law and the prophecies, and yet something very imporatant, 
very permanent, and requiring faith among the people to pro- 
tect them from the diviue judgment, it can hardly be anything 
else than the personal Messiah already announced by Isaiah.* 
This interpretation is precisely that given by the Savior and the 
apostles Paul and Peter (Matt, 21:42: Eph.' 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:3-8). 
A similar prophecy in slightly different lang- 

Prophecy 1 ua = e is f ound in Psalm 118 :22 > 23 : " The stone 

which the builders rejected is become the head 

of the corner. This is Jehovah's building; it is marvelous in our 
eyes." In this Psalm the author relates his experience in which 
In- was distressed by the heathen, but from whom Jehovah de- 
livered him. Upon this occasion he announces his deep confi- 
dence in God, who has become his salvation. Jehovah is there- 

*"The foundation stone represents the one element in human history 
which is indestructible, viz., the purpose of God, and that purpose as 
historically realized in the relation which He has established between 
Himself and the people of Israel." Prof. Skinner, Camb. Bible for 
Schools and Colleges. 

Piercing the indefiniteness of this remark, we may discern the great 
truth, that the one abiding element of human history is the purpose of 
God. But has Isaiah no distinct word as to what this purpose of God is? 
Prof. Skinner understands that this passage is Isaiah's own writing; 
and we may therefore refer to Isaiah's clear declarations of the diviue 
purpose in 9:6, 7; 11:1-10 and elsewhere. It is to bring into the world 
a Governor of whose dominion and peace there shall be no end. One 
who shall establish and uphold the kingdom of David with justice and 
righteousness. If the stone in this prediction represents the divine pur- 
pose, it is unquestionably Messianic. Indeed the purpose of God taken 
in its broad sense must include the Messiah and his kingdom; for through 
him flow all the streams of divine mercy and benevolence. 



ZION AND HER KING. 177 

fore as a stone of greatest importance rejected by the heathen 
as builders. When Jesus was rebuking the Jews for rejecting' 
himself, he reminds them that they were doing precisely what 
had been done in the days of the psalmist. They were setting 
at nought the head of the new kingdom which they hoped to see 
established, just as builders might reject the stone that belongs at 
the head of the corner. Likewise, Paul referring to the building 
of the Church, partly of Jewish and partly of Gentile material, 
declares that "Christ Jesus hirilself is the chief corner-stone,," 
and that in him Jews and Gentiles are united as the two wallsr 
of a building are joined in a corner-stone. So also Peter in dp- 
scribing the Church as a spiritual house quotes both Isaiah and 
the psalmist, and applies their words to Christ as the foundation- 
stone of the building, precious to those who believe on hirn^ but: 
a stone of stumbling for such as disbelieve. It is certainly true 
that Christ occupies precisely -this position in that spiritual 
structure which through long ages God had fully purposed to 
erect. If the utterances by Isaiah and the psalmist were truly 
prophetic, there can be at least but a feeble reason for our under- 
standing them to mean by the corner-stone any other than, the- 
Messiah. Certainly no other so well suits the title, and concern- 
ing no other is it reasonable that Jehovah should have thus 
spoken. 

12. - Zion and Her King. Isa. xxxiii. 13-24. 

Circumstances. In the earlier Part of this chapter the prophet 

graphically describes the scenes of a destruc- 
tive invasion by some great enemy, who has already laid deso- 
late the land of Judah, and whose valiant warriors are crying 
outside the walls of Jerusalem for the city to surrender. The 
embassadors of Judah weep, and mourning fills all the land. 
No other time in the life of Isaiah so perfectly furnished such 
conditions as the time of Sennacherib's invasion in 701 B. C. 
(2 Kings 18:13-19:37). 'In the midst of these dreadful events, 
Isaiah was the calm counsellor of the king, because he trusted 
confidently in Jehovah for deliverance (Isa. 37:33-35). Many 
of the king's courtiers had little faith in Isaiah's advice, and 
hence were in great consternation. Isaiah held that the rio-ht- 



178 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

eous would not be overthrown, but would dwell in safety under 
divine protection. Accordingly lie cheers his countrymen by 
the prospect of the future greatness and security of Zion and 
the beauty of her king. He bases this prediction on the fact 
that Jehovah is judge, lawgiver and king, and that He will save 
His people. 

The Message. He frames his Prophecy in the following 

words : 

"Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, 
acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath 
seized the godless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring 
fire. 1 Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walk- 
eth righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of 
oppressions, that shaketh his hands from taking a bribe, that stoppeth 
his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking 
upon evil: He shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the 
munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given him; his waters shall be 
sure. 

Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a land 
that reacheth afar. Thy heart' shall muse on the terror: Where is he 
that counted, where is he that weighed the tribute? Where is he that 
counted the towers? Thou shalt not see the fierce people, a people of 
a deep speech that thou canst not comprehend, of a strange tongue that 
thou canst not understand. Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: 
thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not 
lie removed, the stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, neither shall 
any of the cords thereof be broken. But there Jehovah will be with 
us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no 
galley with oars, neither sha'l gallant ship pass thereby. For Jehovah 
is our judge, Jehovah is our lawgiver, Jehovah is our king; he will 
save us. Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not strengthen the foot 
*t their mast, they could not spread the sail; then was the prey of a 
^reat spoil divided; the lame took the prey. And the inhabitant shall 
not say, I am sick; the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven 
♦heir iniquity. " 

The important features of this prophecy de- 
c h Uzen Gal serve special attention. (1) The prophet elo- 

quently describes the citizen who shall be able 
to abide through all dangers. It is he that walks and speaks 
uprightly, that refuses bribes, that abhors bloodshed, and re- 
fuses to countenance evil. Such a person shall be secure as one 
that dwells on a high place where the rocky precipice is his 
defence. To him supplies of bread and of water shall be given 
unfailingly. Clearly Isaiah implies that Jehovah will protect 



ZION AND HER KING. 179 

such a citizen; and that if the land of Judah had been peopled 
with persons of this class, the desolations and slaughter that 
were then present would not have taken place. This part of the 
prophecy exhibits a general truth, and is not specifically Mes- 



(2) He foretells "the king in his beauty." 
His Beauty.'' 11 ^ an 7 modern scholars insist that this is strictly 
Messianic, while others are less certain. It is 
hardly credible that Isaiah should have said this concerning 
the half-hearted Hezekiah who was then on the throne. Undoubt- 
edly he foresees some future king whose character shall well 
become the glory of the future Zion described in the following 
verses. More than this, the description of the city is ideal, and 
not such as naturally Jerusalem could ever become; and from 
this it is reasonable to infer that "the king in his beauty" is 
also ideal, and hence could not be realized by any merely human 
king. Only the divine Ruler could fulfil such a prediction; 
and if this be true, there remains little question of the Messianic 
character of the prophecy. 

The Land ^ ^ e next P re dicts a far-stretching land, 

which he does not otherwise describe, but the 
close connection of this statement with that concerning the 
"king" implies that the ideal king will reign over an ideal 
country. Whether the territory of this dominion is here con- 
ceived to be universal or not, as it has been in some former pre- 
dictions, the author does not definitely affirm. 

Invaders ^ Hostile invaders, such as those upoD 

whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem were daily 
looking with dread, who presented an appearance of fierceness, 
and whose speech they were not able to understand, are not to 
be seen in that future ideal time. This seems to reaffirm a per- 
iod of universal peace, which has been announced by Isaiah in 
chapter xi. 

Jerusalem ^ Jerusalem of the future shall be like 

an immovable tent, a quiet and peaceful habi- 
tation. There Jehovah will dwell in majesty. Like ancient 
Thebes with the Nile waters flowing all around it, Jerusalem 



180 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

shall be compassed with broad rivers;* but in them no war- 
vessel or sloop laden with the troops of an enemy will sail. 
Here by an apostrophe Isaiah turns and addresses the Assyrians 
as if they might hope to launch their war-ships against the city, 
and says, "Thy tacklings have broken loose; they (thy sailors) 
could not strengthen the foot of thy mast, they could not spread 
the sail." Turning again to his people, Isaiah adds, "Then 
was the prey of a great spoil divided; even the lame took the 
prey." All this will come to pass because Jehovah is judge, 
lawgiver, king and savior. Clearly this is ideal, since Jerusa- 
lem could not naturally be surrounded by waters, and naval 
seeues before her walls would be impossible. This is but a poetic 
picture of what the prophet sees that Jehovah will do for His 
people in coming times; but any great things that Jehovah will 
thus do comparable with this description must be Messianic. 

(6) The prediction closes with the announce- 

Forgiven ment that the "people that dwell therein shall 

be forgiven of their iniquity." Isaiah urges 
that it is on account of the sins of Judah that desolations are 
permitted by Jehovah in their land; but that in the day when 
ideal conditions shall prevail iniquity shall not bring judgments 
upon the people; but their sins shall be forgiven, and this will 
be a condition of citizenship. This accords well with the rela- 
tion that each person sustains toward God in the Christian in- 
stitution. 

This prophecy is another example of Isaiah's 

Cstom S custom to select an occasion of great distress and 

deep despair to utter his most hopeful and en- 
couraging predictions. In this way he not only took occasion to 
present valuable Messianic announcements at a time when they 
would be most gladly heard and receive greatest attention, but 
also when they would serve to strengthen faith, encourage loy- 
alty and inspire greater righteousness among the chosen people. 
In this way he accomplished many objects at the same time. 

*Some interpreters have regarded the words "a place of broad rivers 
and streams" as in apposition with "Jehovah," which signifies that 
He is a place of broad rivers and streams in which no galleys pass. Such 
a locative conception of Jehovah is rare and strained, and it does not 
comport with His official character in the next sentence. 



GOD IN HIS CITY. 181 

Even to the modern reader there is something attractive in be- 
holding the brightest prophetic pictures set in the frame-work 
of Israel's most gloomy and foreboding experiences. 
13. God in His City'. Psalms xlvi and xlviii. 

The titles to these Psalms assign them to the 
Korah." "Sons of Korah," which means certain de- 

scendants of Korah, who was the grandson of 
Kohath the son of Levi. Korah perished in the rebellion against 
Moses and Aaron (Num. xvi) ; but his sons were not involved 
in his fall (Num. 26 :11). The family was famous in the time of 
David (1 Chr. 12:6), and remained so until after the Exile 
(1 Chr. 9:17,19; Neh. 11:19). To members of this family, 
by name unknown to us, Psalms 42-49, 84, 85, 87, 88 are ascribed; 
but the exact dates of some of these Psalms cannot be determined. 
Absolute agreement regarding the date of 
these two Psalms has not been reached by 
scholars; but the following views have been presented: (1) 
Since the Psalms seem to refer to some great deliverance from 
national enemies, the time of Jehoshaphat is sometimes memtioned, 
because in his day a large army composed of allied enemies in- 
vaded Judah, and were overthrown by divine help. 2 Chr. 20 : 
20-27. (2) Many others hold that the Psalms were written about 
the time that Isaiah xxxiii. was composed. The chief reason 
for this date is the similarity of thought of the psalms with this 
chapter in Isaiah. As Isaiah speaks of the rivers and streams 
about the city (v. 21), so the Psalmist says, "There is a river, 
the streams whereof make glad the city of God" (46: 4); as 
Isaiah speaks of Jehovah lifting himself up and being exalted 
(v. 10), so the Psalmist gives a double statement concerning 
divine exaltation (46: 10); and as Isaiah speaks of those that 
counted the towers of Jerusalem (v. 18), so the Psalmist bids 
his readers to number the towers of the city, to note her bul- 
warks, and consider her palaces (48:12,13). Other less strik- 
ing examples could be cited, and the general trend of the 
prophecy is remarkably similar. While the date may not be re- 
garded as settled decisively, the period of Isaiah is as well suited 
as any in which to assume that the Messianic features of these 
Psalms were uttered. 



182 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The leading Messianic ideas presented in 
Jehovah 6 ° f tlu ' se two Psalms are: (1) The presence of 

Jehovah is with his people working out their 
deliverance. In Psalm xlvi. it is said: 

"God is our refuge and strength. 

A very present help in trouble. 

* * * * * * * * 

There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, 

The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. 

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: 

God will help her, and that right early. 

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved: 

He uttered his voice, the earth melted. 

Jehovah of hosts is with us; 

The God of Jacob is our refuge." 

In like manner the remainder of this Psalm and much of 
Ps. xlviii. describe the presence of Jehovah in Zion for her help. 
This conception is in keeping with the sentiment announced in 
Isa. 33:17,21,22; and signifies that the future of the Jewish 
people is understood by the prophetic poets to be in the hands 
of Jehovah, and that He has purposes to be accomplished in 
this people that shall distinguish them from all others. These 
purposes require the divine presence in the city for their ac- 
complishment. 

(2) One of Jehovah's purposes is to secure 
Exaltation peace throughout the world. Hence the writers 

say. "lie maketh wars to cease unto the end of 
the earth" (Ps. 46 : 9). This corresponds to the prophecy of Isaiah 
xi, in which even the beasts of the field are to partake with men 
in a disposition of amity. (3) The city of Zion will be greatly 
exalted, "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is 
Mount Zion, on the sides of the north the city of the great 
King." Ps. 48:2. This exaltation is due to the presence of Je- 
hovah, and the city is distinctly called "The City of the Great 
King." It is certain that the most remarkable manifestations 
of God's presence in the city of Jerusalem was made in the 
person of the Messiah; and while the prophet does not distinctly 
foresee this event, he rightly discerns the principle of the divine 
intention to he fulfilled in Christ. This is not to say, however, 



THE RULER FROM BETHLEHEM. 183 

that at no time before the coming of Christ was Jehovah with 
the city; for He was with His people during all their history, 
whether in blessing or in punishments. 

(4) The fame of Jehovah is to be spread 
Jehovah 16 ° abroad throughout the earth. Kings that as- 

semble in hostility shall pass away with great 
amazement and haste (48 :4, 5) ; Jehovah is to be exalted among 
the nations, and his praise shall reach the ends of the earth (46 : 
10; 48:10). Whatever may be said of the fame which Jehovah 
secured for Himself before the coming of Christ, it is certain 
that He was never so widely known and His praise so univer- 
sally spoken as in modern times through the spread of the gos- 
pel of His grace. 

If these utterances may not be said to be di- 
Character rectly and strictly Messianic, they are, at 

least, most remarkable expressions of truths of 
a very vital character which have their highest exhibition in the 
course of Messianic history. It is to be remembered that the 
prophet's work was not to write history in advance, but to de- 
lineate and impress the divine purpose upon the minds of his 
countrymen, no matter whether that purpose should be' traced 
by events immediate or more remote. The purpose might be very 
definitely set in a prediction concerning a special person or 
event, or it might have the more general form of a principle 
to be maintained or even a general result to be secured. If the 
principle or result attain a culmination in the Messianic age as 
it could not in any age preceding, the prophecy that contained 
it has a pronounced Messianic value. , 

14. The Ruler from Bethlehem. Micah v. 1-5. 

The Prophet ^ ne °P en i n g words of this book announce 

that "the word of Jehovah came to Micah the 
Mforashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of 
Judah," which is also confirmed by the statement in Jer. 26:18, 
that "Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah 
king of Judah." Jeremiah says that "he spake to all the people 
of Judah;" but Micah says that his prophecy was "concerning 



184 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Samaria and Jerusalem.*' Jeremiah speaks of one particular 
utterance, while Mieah refers to the prophetic work of the whole 
book or his whole life. 

Conditions ^* le cou ditions °f Judah when this prophecy 

was composed were very serious; for it was a 
time of lamentation when "her wounds were incurable" (1:8, 
9), find when every kind of wickedness prevailed among the 
people [2:1-5). The rulers of the people hated the good and 
loved the evil, they oppressed the people and despised Jehovah 
(3:1-4). Even the prophets of the times led the people astray, 
and sought undeserved rewards (3:5-7). Micah was foretelling 
that -Judah should go forth out of the city and be brought to 
Babylon, and thence redeemed by Jehovah from her enemies 
(4:10). The time was probably just before the Assyrian in- 
vasion under Sennacherib, 701 B. C. 

•• Now shalt thou gather thyself iu troops, O daugh- 
The Prediction, tor of troops: he hath laid siege against us; they 
shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the 
eheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to he among 
the thousands of Judah, out cf thee shall one come forth unto me that 
is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from ever- 
lasting. • Therefore wi 1 he give them up, until a time that she who 
travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall 
return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand, and shall feed 
his flock in tin- strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of 
Jehovah his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he lie great unto 
tin- ends of the earth. And this man shall be our peace." 5:1-5. 

,,.,,, The name Ephrathah, meaning - fruitfulness, 

Ephratnan. * D . ' 

was added to the name Bethlehem to distinguish 

this town from another Bethlehem belonging to the tribe of 

Zebulon. It is not probable that the meaning of the name has 

any significance related to this prophecy. The town was called 

"little" (v. 2), because of its size, which is indicated by the fact 

that the place is not listed in -Josh. 15:21, ff., nor in Neh. 11: 

25, ff., 1 hough it was built, or rebuilt, by Rehoboam (2 Chr. 

11:6): but it never attained a Large population. In quoting 

this passage, .Matthew calls the town "not little" (Matt. 2:6), 

probably meaning "not the least" among the princely towns of 

Judah; for while it did not have great size, it should have a 

greal reputation as the birth-place of a great ruler. 



THE RULER FROM BETHLEHEM. 185 

This ruler as described in the prophecy is in 
Birth-place S some respects remarkable. (1) His greatness 

will be such as to give a reputation to the little 
village in which he was born. Bethlehem had already some dis- 
tinction by being the home of Jesse the father of David; but it 
is to become much more famous, so that it will compare favor- 
ably with the greater towns of the land. However true this might 
have been if some noted earthly ruler had risen in Bethlehem, 
which in fact did not occur after this prophecy was spoken, it 
is certain that no city in the world is more famous as a birth- 
place than this village of Bethlehem on account of the nativity 
of Christ. 

(2) His "goings forth are from of old, from 
Forth ' > cmgs everlasting , ' ' and this cannot mean that the 

coming ruler was to have merely an ancient 
pedigree, although the list of David's ancestors was very long. 
Far-reaching pedigrees were kept in nearly all the Jewish fam- 
ilies, and after the Exile these lists of ancestry were regarded 
as very valuable (Neh. 7:64). But the fact that long pedigrees 
were common would render that accident of the ruler's character 
too unimportant for so serious mention as this passage implies. 
On the other hand, there is a divine pedigree of far greater sig- 
nificance. The purpose of Jehovah to raise up this ruler was 
very old,* for it had been revealed from the days of Abraham on, 
and it is certain that Micah had regard for such an antiquity of 
divine promises, since he closes his book with the words, "Thou 
wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abra- 
ham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of 
old." The apostle John recognized the antiquity of the Christ 
when he said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 
was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the be- 
ginning with God." Jn. 1 :1. Jesus also regarded it worth say- 

('lu'vnc suggests the translation "origins" instead of "goings 
forth;" that the plural signifies excellence, as " dominions for dominion" 
(Ps. 111:2); and that the prophecy points back to the "pre-existence 
•of the Mess 'ah in the eternal purposes of God, or, which is more obvious 
;iml perfectly suited to the context, to his descent from the ancient 
Davidic family." Cambridge Bible, Micah. It is to be noted that the 
double expression of antiquity, "from of old" and "from everlasting," 
is rather loo strong for a descenl merely from David. 



186 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

ing, "Verily, verily. I say unto you, Before Abraham was born 
I am." Jn. 8:58. Such remarkable correspondence between 
the prophecy by Micah and the language of Jesus could hardly 
be accidental, especially in view of the fact that Jesus as the 
greatest of all rulers had this antiquity as one of the most con- 
spicuous features of his official rank. 

(3) He "shall feed his flock in the strength 
Offic^ aJeSti ° of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Je- 
hovah his God." We may not forget that 

David, the prototype of this ruler, was from Bethlehem, and 
was a shepherd. The coming ruler, like many others, might be 
called a shepherd, because he was the leader of his people; but 
the strength of Jehovah and the divine majesty in which this 
ruler is to lead his flock mark him as lifted far above any other 
kings or princes. No other person so perfectly realized the dig- 
nity of this description as did the Messiah; and it would be 
a most remarkable thing if the prophet should have delivered 
a divine message of this character concerning any other when 
the divine mind had already purposed the coming of Christ. 
There would indeed have been no immediate purpose accom- 
plished by speaking thus of another which could not be accom- 
plished by using this language with direct reference to the 
Messiah. 

(4) "Now shall he be great unto the ends 
His of the earth." This clearly predicts universal 
Distinction. fame for this ruler; but it does not specify the 

grounds on which his reputation shall stand. 
There was little natural prospect in Micah 's day that any ruler 
of the little province of Judah should become famous through- 
out the world; and hence this statement, in keeping with those 
that have gone before, indicates a superhuman foresight of One 
who should not rule after the manner of men, but by divine power 
should secure universal recognition. In any case, it is true that 
no other person born in Bethlehem than the Messiah has attained 
this distinction. Throughout this whole passage there is a dig- 
nity and sublimity in the predictions that could not be matched 
in the life of any human ruler, and to which only the Man of 
Galilee was able to rise. 



SUMMARY OF ISAIAN PERIOD. 187" 

SUMMARY. 

The time of Isaiah was a very fruitful period for Messianic- 
prophecy, and several prophets unite to make the Messianic fore- 
cast more varied and complete. The following are perhaps the 
most important elements of this series of predictions : 

1. A future king shall come to Zion, who shall be just and 
humble riding upon an ass, and who shall introduce a period of 
peace among the nations, and gain dominion over all the earth. 
Zech. 9 :9, 10. 

2. Jehovah proclaims Himself the God of Judah and Eph- 
raim, that He will smite down their afflictions, that He will 
bring them redemption from the hands of their enemies, and 
that they shall walk in His name. Zech. 10 :6, 10-12. 

3. Jehovah's prophet and representative among His people 
is sold for thirty pieces of silver, and the money is delivered to 
a potter. Zech. 11 :12, 13. 

4. The holy seed is the stump of the tree of Judah, and 
it shall remain, although the tree itself shall be felled and des- 
troyed. Isa. 6 :13. 

5. The house of Jehovah shall be greatly exalted, and be 
sought by the Gentiles ; and from it shall go forth instruction to 
the nations that shall produce universal peace, so that wars 
shall be no more. Isa. 2 :2-4. 

6. The "branch of Jehovah" shall nourish, and therewith 
shall come a cleansing of sin together with a refuge and protection 
in Jehovah. Isa. 4 :2-6. 

7. A child shall be born that shall bear the memorial name 
God-with-us. Isa. 7:14. 

8. A wonderful counsellor with divine titles shall rise, who 
shall assume the government of his people, who shall have the 
throne of David forever, and the increase of whose dominion 
and peace shall be perpetual. Isa. 9 :6, 7. 

9. A Shoot from the stock of Jesse shall appear, who shall 
be an ideal ruler and judge, who shall introduce a period of 
perfect pe?.ce', and under whom the knowledge of Jehovah shall 
fill the whole earth. Isa. 11. 

](). Foreign nations shall learn the worship of Jehovah, shall 



188 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

be led to international good-will and unity, and shall share with 
each other the choicest blessings of Jehovah. Isa. 19:18-25. 

11. A precious and permanent corner-stone shall be laid by- 
Jehovah as a basis of a personal life that shall not be uncertain 
nor disappointing. Isa. 28 :16. 

12. A king in his beauty shall appear ruling over a favored 
land, dwelling in a city surrounded by broad rivers in which no 
hostile fleet may sail, but in which a righteous citizenship shall 
be maintained, and sins shall be forgiven. Isa. 33 :17-24. 

13. Jehovah will visit Zion, will secure peace throughout the 
world, and will exalt the holy city among the nations. Psalms 
46 and 48. " 

14. A ruler shall come forth from the vallage of Bethlehem, 
who shall make the place of his nativity famous, whose career 
was purposed from of old, who shall perform for his people a 
work in the strength and majesty of Jehovah, and who shall be 
distinguished among all nations. Micah 5:2-4. 

In previous periods special characteristics of 
Peculiarities Messianic prophecy have been noted, so that the 
Period predictions of each time have notably differed 

-from those of other times. In the period of 
Isaiah peculiar marks are somewhat less distinct and exclusive, 
but yet plainly discernible. As in former periods, the nature 
of the prophecy is dependent upon the condition of the Hebrew 
people at that time. The age in which Isaiah lived was one in 
which the fate or fortune of Judah hung as in a balance. At almost 
any time an invasion might be expected which might completely 
destroy her national character. Her own kings were for the most 
part unfaithful to Jehovah, and unworthy to win victories in His 
name. Defeat and exile were imminent. The characteristic 
prophecy of the time, however Messianic it may be, adapted itself 
to these conditions. The burden of the prophecy is a future 
ruler that shall be wise, just, humble, loyal to Jehovah, able to 
overcome enemies and to secure peace. Accordingly, his king- 
dom shall be very great, he shall introduce peace and friendship 
among the nations, shall extend the knowledge of Jehovah over 
the world, and shall increase in his dominion perpetually. It is 
in harmony with this that we have a prophecy about the king 



SUMMARY OF ISAIAN PKRIOD. 189> 

coming to Zion riding upon an ass, about the one that is sold for 
thirty pieces of silver, about the Branch of Jehovah, about the 
child called Immanuel, about the wonderful counsellor, about the 
Shoot from the stock of Jesse, about the corner-stone, about the 
king in his beauty, and about the Ruler to be born in Bethlehem. 
Likewise we have those utterances which relate to the house of 
Jehovah exalted above the nations, to the government of whose 
dominion and peace there shall be no end, to the nations that 
shall join with Judah in the worship of Jehovah, to the city sur- 
rounded by peaceful waters, and to the citizenship that should 
discountenance evil and be forgiven of sins. It is not a little re- 
markable that the utterances of three or four different prophets 
should thus combine to form virtually one consistent announce- 
ment. It is no less remarkable that throughout all these predic- 
tions and descriptions of the coming king and his dominion the- 
characteristics of the Messiah and of his reign should be accur- 
ately depicted. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PROPHECIES OF JEREMIAH *S TIME. 

1. Judgment and Restoration. Zeph. i. 1-4, 14-18; ii. 1-3; 
Hi. 

The title to the book of Zephaniah announces 
that the word of Jehovah came to him "in the 
days of Josiah the son of Anion, king of Judah." Josiah 
reigned about 640-609 B. C. ; and he followed the long reign 
of the wicked Manasseh, and consequently when the moral con- 
dition of the country was most revolting. It is probable that 
this prophecy was published before the reformation in religion 
and morals which Josiah instituted, and hence the sad descrip- 
tion of the sin and shame of the land. Nevertheless, we may not 
overlook the fact that much of Josiah 's reformation consisted 
in external requirements, which may not have radically changed 
the character of the people; so that this prophecy might have 
arisen in the latter part of Josiah 's reign. 

The threatenings of Jehovah againt the peo- 

Divine pl e may be seen by the following quotations: 

Threatenings. 

"1 will utterly consume all things from off the 
face of the ground, saith Jehovah. T will consume man and beast; I 
will consume the birds of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea, and the 
stuinblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the 
face of the ground, saith Jehovah. And I will stretch out my hand upon 
Judah ami upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the 
remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarim with the 
priests." 1:2-4. 

"The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, 
even the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bit- 
terly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a 
day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a 
day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm, against 
the fortified cities, and against the high battlements. And I will bring 
distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they 
have sinned against Jehovah." 1:14-17. 



JUDGMENT AND RESTORATION. 191 

"'Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise 
up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I 
may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even 
•all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of 
my jealousy." 3:8. 



From these passages it is clear that on account of the sin 
of the people a national, if not an international, desolation is 
to be visited. In other verses (3:5-7) Zephaniah points to the 
devastation that had befallen other lands and cities on account 
of sin, in some instances until not even an inhabitant was left. 
He argues that if Jehovah has thus dealt justice to other of- 
fenders, He will not spare these people who have forsaken Him 
to follow false prophets. 

A Hebrew prophet rarely closes up his mes- 
Promise 6 sage °^ threatening without adding also a prom- 

ise. So Zephaniah closes his book by laying a 
brighter prospect before his people, as seen in the following 
language : 

"For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may 
all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent. * * * 
Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: 
the king of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not 
fear evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou 
not; O Zion, let not thy hands be slack. Jehovah thy God is in the 
midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over thee 
with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee in singing. I 
will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; 
to whom the burden upon her was a reproach. Behold, at that time I 
will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is 
lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a 
praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth. At that time 
will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make 
you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I 
■bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah." 3:9, 15 20. 

Jehovah here promises a restoration of the 

SSmise.° f thC P ure worshi P which Judal1 had neglected in the 
service of the gods of other lands. The "pure 
language" means a speech in which the names of other deities 
shall not be mentioned," but in which the name of Jehovah shall 
be spoken with reverence. The result will be a more perfect 
and useful life among the people that shall dwell in Jerusalem. 
To strengthen and secure this end, Jehovah Himself as the King 



-j ( p THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

of Israel, will dwell in their midst. He will save them from 
their enemies, and rejoice over their prosperity. Those that 
sorrow, or are afflicted shall receive special attention and re- 
lief the people shall become famous, and he highly honored 
among all the peoples of the earth. This will occur after they 
shall be carried into captivity, and it will serve as a reward to 
those who shall he found faithful to Jehovah at that time. 

The Messianic predictions of Zephaniah are 
Messianic llot s0 conspicuous as those of some of the older 

Predictions. prop hets ; nevertheless, a few important fore- 

casts may be noted in this book. (1) He foresees the time 
when the people of heathen lands will put away their gods and 
accept Jehovah, not by coming to Jerusalem, but every man in 
his own place shall engage in this service. 2:11:* cf. Jn. 4:21. 
(2) He predicts also a judgment that shall affect all the king- 
doms of men, hut regards it mainly in the light of a visitation 
of God's indignation upon the heathen. 3:8. (3) He also 
anticipates a time when there shall be a complete spiritual res- 
toration of Jehovah's own people, by their abandonment of all 
the false gods which they have worshiped, by their ceasing from 
the sins which they have hitherto practiced, by the influence 
6f God in their midst and His continued assistance to their 
aeedyones. 3:0-20. 

It is not possible that at the time when Zepn- 
Traces of Divine aniah wro te there were within the natural ho- 
, Influence - rizon of the prophet forces apparent to bring 

about the things which he here foretells, although the need of 
such conditions must have been keenly felt. An empty need, 
however, does not justify a prediction that a remarkable bless- 
ing will come, much less does it warrant a definite description 

*The prophecy in this verse is that Jehovah "will famish all the 
gods of the earth, and men shall worship Him, every one from Irs place 
Tver, all the isles Of the nations." This means, not as Hitzig and Keil 
have thought, that Jehovah will famish other goda by destroying their 
worshipers, but, as the next line indicates, that Jehovah will win men 
from all lands to His service. The verse clearly lays emphasis also on 
the fact thai it will not be necesary to come to Zion, or to become 
Israelites to serve Jehovah; but each man in Ins own country will adopt 
and serve Israel's God. This is being fulfilled today in almost every 
missionary station throughout the world. 



THE GENTILES RE-BORN IN ZION. 193 

of such a blessing. The Hebrew prophets were influenced, not 
by the perception of need alone, but also by a knowledge of. Je- 
hovah's purpose concerning His people. Zephaniah writes in 
'perfect harmony with the predictions of the former prophets 
respecting a restoration and reformation after the Exile: and 
he goes as far as Isaiah in his description of the word of Je- 
hovah with distant nations, although he does not imitate Isaiah's, 
prophecies concerning peace and international friendliness. Ho 
describes more clearly, however, the immediate presence of 
Jehovah in the midst of His people and the divine watchcare 
over the weak and erring ones. He thus brings Jehovah some- 
what nearer to the individual than Isaiah had done. In this, 
he is only the more distinctly Messianic. 

2. The Gentiles Re-torn in Zion. Psalm Ixxxvii. 

The date of the Psalm cannot be fixed with 
Composition. exactness nor with absolute certainty. The ti- 
tle announces that it is a "Psalm of the sons of 
Korah." It must have been written after the fall of Nineveh, 
606 B. C. ; for Babylon had risen to eminence in history (v. 
4). Yet it could hardly have been composed after the Exile; 
for then the Babylonian period had passed, and Babylon would 
not be mentioned as an important existing nation.* It seems to 
have been also before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Baby- 
lonians about 599 B. C. ; for the mention of "the gates of Zion" 
and "all the dwellings of Jacob" (v. 2) would hardly have been 
made if the city were already in ruins and its gates burned with 

*It seems but fair to the opposite view to quote from Kirkpatrick, 
Cambridge Bible: "On the other hand, the parallels of thought and 
language with the later part of the book of Isaiah (especially 44:5; 
60:1, ff.) and Zeehariah, are not less striking; and the mention of 
Babylon rather than Assyria points to a date after that power had 
taken the place of Assyria as mistress of Western Asia. Egypt, the 
ancient enemy, and Babylon, the recent oppressor, are named as typical 
foes of God's people. It seems best then to suppose that the Psalm was 
written (like Ps. Ixxxv) after the return from Babylon, to cheer the 
drooping spirits of those returned exiles who were in danger of being 
utterly disheartened by the disappointing contrast between the weakness 
and insignificance of their little community, and the grandeur and 
magnificence of the prophetic promises of the future glory and greatness- 
of Zion." 



T'4 THE MESSIANTC MESSAGE. 

fire Xeh. 1:3). The conclusion is that it was written between 
Gut; ,in(l 599, which would be in the time of Jeremiah's ministry. 
Zion Exalted ^' ie P saai1 exalts Zion as esteemed of Jeho- 

vah and as a place in which it will be an honor 
to any nation to be born. It is worded as follows: 

"His foundation is in the holy mountains. 

Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion 

More than all the dwellings of Jacob. 

Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. • 

I will mention Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me: 

Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: 

This one was born there. 

Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; 

And the Most High himself will establish her. 

Jehovah will count, when he writeth up the peop es, 

This one was born there. 

They that sing as well as they that dance shall say, 

All my fountains are in thee." 

The "glorious things" that are spoken of Zion doubtless re- 
late to its eminence among the nations as indicated in the suc- 
ceeding verses. This eminence is based on the fact that Zion 
is beloved by Jehovah above all the other cities of Judah. Even 
the very mountains upon which the city is founded are to be 
regarded as holy. The whole Psalm is based on the purpose of 
Jehovah to make Zion the most glorious of all places on earth; 
and the leading thought is, that the nations of the earth shall 
at some time in the future count it an honor to have been born 
in that sacred city. 

The Messianic character of the Psalm is ap- 
CMracter parent partly by the ideal description of the 

honor which the city shall enjoy, and partly 
by the manifest implication that the nations one after another 
shall become citizens in God's realm by virtue of a special birth 
in Zion. Here we no longer view the nations as tributary to 
Jehovah, or as merely doing voluntary homage, as in Ps. xlv 
or Isa. xix, but as citizens by birth, virtually sons. The nations 
thus re-born will belong to Jehovah, and will sustain to Him 
a most near and sacred relation. Such a relationship to Jeho- 
vah is clearly ideal ; and if it be realizable at all, it can be so only 
in Messianic times and by the universal prevalence of Messianic 
influences. 



THE ADVENT OF JEHOVAH. 195 

3. The Advent of Jehovah. Hab. Hi. 

The time of the writing of the Book of Hab- 
WritLng akkuk was probably in the Babylonian period, 

or just before the beginning of that period. 
This is indicated by 1 :5, 6 : 

"For I am working a work in your days, which ye will not believe 
though it be told you; for, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and 
hasty nation, that marched through the breadth of the earth, to possess 
dwelling-places that are not theirs." 

The Chaldeans were the Babylonians; and the expression 
"in your days" indicates that the Babylonians were to come 
upon Judah in the generation in which this Book was written. 
The time was probably near 605 B. C, when the battle of Char- 
chemish was fought, after which the victor, Nebuchadnezzar, 
determined to march through Palestine against Egypt. He 
did meet the Egyptians, and by a decisive victory took posses- 
sion of all the land from the border of Egypt to the river Eu- 
phrates, so far at least as the king of Egypt held sovereignty 
(2 Kings 24:7). Afterward he also took Jerusalem, and car- 
ried away some 10,000 persons into captivity about 599 B. C. ; 
then later, about 588 B. C, he completely overthrew the city. 
At the time of Habakkuk the fall of the city was imminent, 
but had not yet occurred. 

The prophecy of Habakkuk assumes the form 
thTBook °^ a conversation between the prophet and Je- 

hovah. The prophet complains to Jehovah that 
divine justice is not more promptly executed upon the wicked 
inhabitants of Judah; for violence and strife and law-breaking 
abound in the land (1:2-4). To this Jehovah answers that he 
will raise up the Chaldeans, who are a powerful and relentless 
people, and that they will overrun the land of Judah, and thor- 
oughly punish that wicked generation (1:5-11). The prophet 
then complains that the Chaldeans, like cruel fishermen,, catch 
the nations as in a net, and rejoice at their misery, and in self- 
ish glee boast over the success of their violence ; and they spare 
not even those peoples who are much better than themselves 
(1 :12-17). Jehovah again responds in chapter ii, that the Chal- 



196 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

deans themselves shall hasten to their end; for it is not possible 
that a nation so wicked as they, although used temporarily as 
a scourge against others, should pass unpunished for their own 
iniquity. A fivefold woe is therefore pronounced upon the 
Chaldeans. The third chapter is a prayer by the prophet in 
which he describes Jehovah coming in judgment both against 
His own people and against the nations about them. 

A notable statement is made in 2:4, ''Behold 
A Cardinal hig soul is pil ff e d up, it is not upright in him; 

T but the righteous shall live by his faith." The 

righteous here stand in contrast with the haughty Babylonians, 
who do not regard Jehovah. The righteous, however, will find 
security by their faith in Jehovah.* This principle of faith is 
emphasized by Paul (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11), who shows that 
salvation is not by perfect obedience to law, but by faith. The 
prophet's thought is that safety is not by a vain confidence in 
national power, but by faith in Jehovah. The prophet really 
announces a principle that is valuable in every age, and that 
lies at the foundation of all acceptance with the living God. 
It is not strictly a prediction; but it is an announcement of 
that cardinal truth which underlies all true loyalty in the di- 
vine government, and without which the government of God 
would be turned into anarchy. 

The prayer of Habakkuk in the third ehap- 
The Prayer. ter calls upon Jehovah to revive His work and 

to remember mercy toward Judah. Then follows a description 
of the advent of Jehovah to His people in great majesty and 
dory for the purpose of punishing nations and of saving tie 
chosen people. The warriors of the Chaldeans were to fall by 
their own weapons (v. 14). And the prophet closes with an ex- 

*The Hebrew word for "faith" here is sometimes used in the sense of 
"faithfulness" (Tsa. 11:5, et al.), and frequently signifies that element 
of character that may be called integrity; and it was the Septuagint 
that translated it "faith," from which it was brought over into the N. 
T (Kom 1-17), and made an important element in salvation. This may 
be regarded neither as an accident nor an error. The integrity of the 
righteous committed them to Jehovah, and made them His people; and 
it is to such that Habakkuk extends the hope of salvation (3:13,18, 
19). As over against the heathen Chaldean, the man of faithfulness is 
essentially the man of faith in Jehovah. 



THE ADVENT OF JEHOVAH. 197 

ultation because Jehovah brings salvation and strength, and 
makes His servant to walk on high places. The whole descrip- 
tion is in the highly wrought imagery of the most passionate 
poetry of the Hebrews. The leading intent of the passage 
appears to be to magnify Jehovah above all other gods and to 
foretell the triumph of Jehovah's people. 

The Messianic elements in this book may thus 

Messianic be noted: (1) The primary and important 

Faith! 111 ^ condition of salvation is faith in God (2:4). 

This anticipates the fundamental character of 

faith in the Christian economy. Faith in Christ occupies in the 

new dispensation the same place that faith in Jehovah held in 

the days of the prophets. It is the same necessary principle 

of loyalty in the divine government in all ages; and while its 

announcement here is not a matter of prediction, it is none the 

less Messianic in value. 

(2) The nations are to fall on account of 
Nations. their sins, but God's people are to be saved 

by the coming of Jehovah for their rescue (3 : 
13). It is certain that one great nation after another among 
the ancients came to a sudden and disastrous end on account 
either of corruption that hopelessly weakened military defenses, 
or the ambition of leaders for conquest by war which made the 
nations about them combine for their overthrow. Meanwhile 
the kingdom of heaven has steadily grown in power from the 
day it was established until the present time. Existing condi- 
tions point unmistakably to the downfall of every power that 
is based upon wicked principles and the promotion of every 
i7istitution that stands upon a basis of honor and right. 

(3) Jehovah is the strength of His people, 
Jehovah the and w }n exalt them (3.]^ 19). The people pf 
People. God have never exhibited unusual military or 

political power, nor have they as a rule expected 
these resources to sustain them or to forward their cause. On 
the other hand, those instances in European history in which 
political authority was exercised by the church have not com- 
mended the cause of genuine Christianity to the confidence of 
discerning people. Jehovah, not swords and spears, is the true 



198 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

defender of His people; and in every age of persecution the weak 
and struggling advocates of truth and duty have rapidly in- 
creased in spite of opposition, and have rather seemed to be 
helped by the ?ery forces that sought their destruction. To 
whal extent the prophet may have had this truth before his 
mind, we may not know; but he had announced a principle, 
the significance of which ages of Christian history have only 
made more eonspicious. 

4. Jehovah's Throne in Jerusalem. Jer. in. 14-18. 

Tin- time in which this prophecy was written 

Historical ig d known in verse 6, "Moreover Jehovah 

Environment. , T . n ,, , . ,, 

said unto me in the days of Josiah the king, 

etc. Josiah reigned 640-609 B. C. ; and attempted to produce 

a great reform among the people of Judah. During the earlier 

years of his reign, he was under the influence of Hilkiah th? 

high priest and others who were associated with the priest. 

especially Iluldah. a prophetess of Jehovah. Hilkiah brought 

to the king a copy of the law, now generally supposed to be the 

book of Deuteronomy, by which he was actuated to make great 

reforms in the religious and moral conduct of the people. The 

worship of foreign gods was discouraged, and many of their 

altars and other places and objects of worship were destroyed 

while the worship of Jehovah was strongly supported. It was 

doubtless in co-operation with this effort that the prophecy of 

Jeremiah in this passage was produced. 

"Return, backsliding children, saith Jehovah; 
The Text. for I am a husband unto you: and I will take you, 

one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring 
von to Zion: and T will give you shepherds according to my heart, who 
shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. And it shall come 
to pass, when ye are multiplied and increased in the land in those days, 
saith Jehovah, they shall say no more. The ark of the covenant of Jc- 
hovah; neither shall il come to mind; neither shall they remember it; 
neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more. At that 
time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah; and all the nations 
K 1 V1 ]1 be gathered unto it, to the name of Jehovah, to Jerusalem: neither 
shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. In 
those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and 
they shall roue' together out of the land of the north to the land that I 

gave for an inheritance unto your fathers." 



JKHOVAH'S THRONE IN JERUSALEM. 199 

Content ^is P re diction contemplates a captivity of 

Judah, from which the people shall be returned, 
not as a whole, but a few from each city or family shall be found 
faithful enough to be restored to their former country. The ark 
of the covenant shall not then be remembered, because it is not to 
exist after the exile ; but the whole city of Jerusalem shall be- 
come sacred as the ark has been, and be called "the throne 
of Jehovah." This really predicts that the time is coming when 
the holy city will sustain to Jehovah a closer relation than it has 
in former times. 

A few features of this prophecy appear to be 

Messianic Ideas: Messianic. 

Husband. a (1) Jehovah is to be a husband to Judah. A 

similar thought had been uttered by Hosea con- 
cerning Jehovah and Northern Israel. This relation implies great 
faithfulness on the part of Jehovah toward His people, especially 
since the nation itself had proved faithless to Him. It also im- 
plies a purpose in the mind of Jehovah to be fulfilled toward His 
people in the future, and this purpose always necessarily Mes- 
sianic. 

(2) The people at that time shall be well in- 
Jehovah. 011 ° structed by persons whom Jehovah will appoint. 

This accords with the prophecy of Isaiah (11:9) 
that the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehoyah; and it 
indicates that the prophets foresaw more than political blessings, 
and regarded popular education concerning divine matters as one 
of the elements of the future glory of man. It is notable that 
this is one of the crowning features of the Messianic plan of ad- 
vancing the race. 

(3) Jerusalem shall be the throne of Je- 
Jerusalem! ° f hovah, and become sacred after the manner 

in which the ark of the covenant was sacred in 
the temple. This implies not only the presence of Je- 
hovah, as already more than once predicted, but that this presence 
shall be so complete and satisfactory to the people of God, that they 
shall not miss the ark of the covenant, which shall cease to exist. 
The ark was lost at the time of the Exile, and. a new one was not 
made when the Israelites returned; but the coming of Christ 



200 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

brought the divine presence s<> perfectly to men that the ark was 
far outclassed in glory, and a more 'perfect access to God was se- 
cured through the Christ than the temple ever offered. 

(4) All the nations shall be gathered to Je- 

Nations rusalem unto the name of Jehovah, and engage 

Gathering to . - __, _, . . • . .. 

Jerusalem. m His service. This is similar to the prophecy 

of Isaiah (2:3), in which many people should 
go up to the mountain of Jehovah to be taught in His way. Lit- 
erally no such event has ever occurred; but if we understand that 
Jerusalem represents the new Zion, the church, all these ref- 
erences to the exaltation and glory of Jerusalem become trans- 
parent. It is practically impossible that the nations should go up 
to the literal city, but it is the divine plan that all men shall 
be invited into the church. Not only so, but Christianity has al- 
ready made sufficient advances among the darkest of heathen 
nations to prove that peoples of all kindreds and classes are ready 
to accept Christ and to come into fellowship with his people. 

(5) The regathering of the exiles of Judah 
Exiles " ° am * their reunion with Israel, although to some 

extent literally fulfilled after the captivity, may 
refer either primarily or typically to the return of all peoples to 
the single worship of Jehovah. Unity among the people of 
of God in the Messianic age is a favorite theme with the great 
prophets.* This reflects in some measure the attitude of these 
prophets toward the division between the Northern and Southern 
kingdoms; and it certainly indicates their foresight of the unity 
of the nations of the earth which has begun to be realized in 
Christ. Evidently the more perfect Christian union can be made, 
the nearer the church will approach to the prophetic ideal. 
5. The Righteous Branch. Jer. xxiii. 5-8; xxxiii. 14-22. 

"Behold, the days come saith Jehovah, that I will 
The Text. raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall 

reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute jus- 
tice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, 
and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be 
called: Jehovah our righteousness. Therefore, behold, the clays come, 
saith Jehovah, that they shall no more say, As Jehovah liveth, who 

*Tn Isaiah xi. 12, 13, the Return of the exiles of Israel and Judah 
and the relations of peace between them are predicted in connection 
wth tin- Messianic age of peace. 



THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH. 201 

brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, As Je- 
hovah liveth, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel 
out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had 
driven them." Jer. 23:5-8. 

Occasion ^ n * s Prophecy seems to have been written in 

the days of Jehoiaehin (22:24-28), either just 
before or just after his captivity, when the question of an empty 
throne had to be considered by the people of Judah, Jeremiah 
was announcing not merely the captivity of the king, which may 
have been apparent to all, but that Jehovah had rejected him and 
his posterity from sitting on the throne of David (22 :30) . These 
events occurred about 599 B. C. 2 Kings 24 :10-16. 
. N _. The prophecy clearly foretells the appearance 

of a descendant of David, who shall occupy the 
throne when the house of Jehoiaehin shall be set at nought, and 
who in contrast with the reign which is just closing shall deal 
wisely and execute justice in the land. In commemoration of the 
of the character which he shall have, the prophet preannounces 
his name "Jehovah Our Righteousness." This name implies that 
perfect human righteousness may not be expected,* but that Je- 
hovah must be the source of righteousness among men ; and the 
recognition of this fact is essential to the most perfect worship. 
So great will be the change when that new ruler shall come that 
even the form of oath by which the people swear shall be changed. 
Whereas heretofore they have sworn by Jehovah who brought the 
people out of Egypt, hereafter they Mall swear by Jehovah who 
brought His people from the lands of their exile. So great will 
be the disaster of the captivity, and so remarkable will be their 
deliverance, that these events shall overshadow in history the 
exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. This clearly puts the 
reign of the new king beyond the time of the Exile, and leaves it 
indefinite as respects its date. 

"Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will 
A Similar perform that good word which I have spoken concern- 

Oracle, cerning the house of Israel and concerning the house 

of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I 
cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall 

•'It is not said that the Messiah is Jehovah our righteousuess, but 
that ho is called Jehovah our righteousness, because in him and through 
him Jehovah is perceived to constitute His people's righteousness." 
Oeh'er's O. T. Theology. 



2()2 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Jiulah 
be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name where- 
hv she shall be called, Jehovah our righteousness. For thus saith Je- 
hovah- David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the 
house of Israel; neither shall The priests the Levites want a man before 
me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings and to do sacrifice 
continually. And the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus 
saith Jehovah: If ye can break ray covenant of the day. and my cove- 
nant of the night, so that there shall nut bo -lay and night in their sea- 
son; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that 
he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites 
the priests, my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, 
neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of 
David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me." Jer. 
:!3:14-22.' 

In part this passage is very similar to the one 
Levitical Work. ^^ ^^ ^ ^ probaUy written nl)0ut 

the same time. It makes a very emphatic addition to the for- 
mer statement by announcing that David shall never be without. 
a descendant to occupy his throne, and that the Levitical priest- 
hood shall be continued with their sacrifices. This was doubt- 
less the only method then possible of foretelling the perpetuation 
of the kingly and priestly functions in the antitypes of David 
and the Levitical priests. Christ and Christian people. At the 
same time while this permanence of royal and sacerdotal func- 
tions is announced, we may note that literally the Levites offered 
their sacrifices only during the period between the return from 
Exile and the fall of Jerusalem under Titus A. D. 70. during 
the greater part of which time David had no heir upon the 
throne; but after this period both the regal and sacrificial duties 
were represented by the Messiah. It is only by way of a con- 
ferred honor that Christians are said to be "kings and priests 
unto God" (Rev. 1:6). The "covenant of the day" probably 
refers to the covenant made with Noah concerning the perpetu- 
ity of day and night (Gen. 8:22); and the thought is. if the 
.•("instant recurrence of day and night can be prevented, then 
may the coining of David's representative lie prevented. 

The Messianic ideas of these two passages 

Th SSi ' a 'Branch a,S; may be briefly summed up as foUows : (1) The 

Branch belonging to the family of David shall 

rule in righteousness. This is similar to the prophecy in Isaiah 

11:1-5, in which the wisdom and righteousness of the coming 



THE RESTORATION AND NEW COVENANT. 203 

ruler are very fully described. This passage evidently refers to 
the same ideal ruler as that in Isaiah; and if they are truly pro- 
phetic at all, the prophecy can rest on no other than the Mes- 
siah. 

F c f + (^) ^^ e future safety of Judah and Israel is 

foretold (23 -.6). Since this is to be in the days of 
the Branch, it can hardly be seriously taken otherwise than as a 
prediction of the great salvation and state of security which men 
shall enjoy in Christ, yet put under the figure of Judah and Is- 
rael which in that day stood for the people of God. Otherwise, 
also, it will be difficult to give a satisfactory interpretation of the 
prophecy in harmony with the divine purpose. 

Priesthood ^ ) ^ ne Prophecy concerning the Levitical 

priesthood appears to catch up anew the prom- 
ise of God to Phinehas (Num. 25 :12, 13) ; while that concerning 
the Davidic offspring renews the "sure mercies" of David as 
promised in 2 Sam. 7 :11-18. Both of these point forward to the 
continuance of a divinely appointed royalty and priesthood. 

(4) The "seed of David" shall be innumer- 

Da S v?d d '' f able (33:22). In this case the seed of David is 

probably to be understood as Paul interprets 
"Abraham's seed" (Gal. 3:29). Christ is Abraham's seed, and 
all those who are in Christ are counted as Abraham's seed with 
him. Likewise, the Messiah is David's seed, and doubtless with 
him are to be counted also all those whom he calls "brethren" 
(Heb. 2 :11-12). If this suggestion be correct, it readily accounts 
for the emphasis laid upon the certainty that the seed of David 
will be multiplied. It also makes more forceful the prediction 
as seen in the light of the prophet's situation; for over against 
the rejection of Jehoiachin and his descendants, which gave a 
most discouraging outlook for the house of David, the prophet 
sets the promised ruler and an innumerable host of the seed of 
David associated with the king. 

6. The Restoration and Ni w Covenant. Jcr. xxx, xxxi. 

In the tenth year of ZedekialT, the last Davidic 

Anathoth *" king on the throne of Judah before the Exile, 

the prophet was told to buy a field in Anathoth 

not far from Jerusalem, which he did, paying the price and tak- 



204 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

ing a deed according to law. The deed was delivered to a friend 
to be put away for preservation; and a prophecy was uttered that 
although the land should be devastated and the people taken in- 
to captivity, the time would come when property would again be 
valuable in Judah. Jer. 32:6-15. As chapters xxx, xxxi are med- 
itations on the return from captivity, it is probable that they 
were written about the same time as that of the purchase of the 
field. 

These two chapters are poetic, and have been 
Prhfce and called the ' ' triumphal hymn of Israel 's salvation ' ' 

(Hengstenberg). The passage contemplates the 
capture of Babylon and her desolation with all the griefs and 
cruelties attendant upon the downfall of the nation, and then 
pictures the return of Judah under Jehovah's direction with the 
gladness and hope which that event will bring. Incidentally the 
prophet remarks that the people of Judah and Israel "shall 
serve Jehovah their God. and David their king, whom I will raise 
up unto them" (30:9). This repeats the prophecy that God will 
raise up a man of David's house to be the future king of Israel. 
This thought is contained in verse 21, 

"And their prince shall be of themselves, 

And their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them; 

And I will cause them to draw near, 

And he shall approach unto me: 

For who is he that hath had boldness to approach me? 

Saith Jehovah. " 

These words imply that the coming ruler will arise from the 
midst of the common people: and it further signifies that he shall 
ad as God's high priest. The expression, "approach unto me," 
with tlir implied danger of such a service doubtless refers to the 
work of the high priest wthin the holy chamber of the temple* 
and the penalty of death which must befall any person who dared 

*It is worth while tO notice Oehler's ,-emark (O. T. Theol. p. 528): 
''A specific relation of the Messiah to Jehovah such as no human being 
could claim for himself is here alluded to by Jeremiah." This assumes that 
the "approach" to Jehovah alluded to in the passage is too near and 
sacred for a priest to make, and interprets the question, "Who is he 
that hath had boldness to approach met" in the sense that no one has 
dared to approach Jehovah, because no human being could do so. Tt 
assumes further thai the Messiah, as more than human is alone worthy 
to approach God. If this be the thought, the passage is a direct pre- 
diction of the Messiah. 



THE RESTORATION AND NEW COVENANT. 205 

thus to come into the divine presence without official right. 

A notable prophecy appears in 31 :15 : 
Weeping in "Thus saith Jehovah: 
Raman. A voice is heard in Eamah, 

Lamentation, and bitter weeping, 

Eachel weeping for her children; 

She refuseth to be comforted for her children, 

Because they are not." 

We are informed that Ramah was the place where the cap- 
tain of those that guarded the captives released Jeremiah from 
among "ail the captives of Jerusalem and Judah that were car- 
ried away captive unto Babylon" (40:1). This signifies that 
when the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Babylon- 
ians, the captives were collected at Ramah, where they waited 
until they were taken away to Babylonia. The scene at Ramah 
where thousands of wretched people were kept under guard ready 
to be carried away from their native land, must have been one of 
great sadness. It was one over which, poetically speaking, even 
Rachel, wife of Jacob and the beloved ancestress of some of the 
tribes of Israel, might be said to weep. It is certain that Jere- 
miah has reference to this scene, because in 31 :16 Jehovah ex- 
horts the people to refrain from weeping, since "they shall come 
again from the land of the enemy." This implies that those 
who wept were in grief because they were about to be taken into 
the land of an enemy. In Matthew 2 :17, 18, these words are 
quoted and represented as being fulfilled by the lamentations 
in Bethlehem when Herod slew the infants in that town in his 
attempt to kill the Messiah. It is not possible that Matthew re- 
garded the grief of Bethlehem as a direct fulfilment of the pas- 
sage in Jeremiah, for he could not help noting that the name of 
the city was wholly different.* He could only mean that the event 
of which Jeremiah speaks was typical of the one to which he him- 

*Two Ramahs are known to us, one near Gibeon, about five miles 
north of Jerusalem (Josh. 18:25); and the .other farther north in Mount 
Ephraim (1 Sam. 1:19). Some scholars urge that possibly there was 
another Ramah near Bethlehem that was the object of Matthew's refer- 
ence; and since Rachel was buried in that vicinity, she might he thought 
to have a deep interest in the people there. Such uncertain elements 
are worth very little to the interpreter, and the less because it is 
almost certain that the captives mentoned by Jeremiah were guarded 
in one of the Ramahs north of Jerusalem. 



20() THE MESSIANIC .MESSAGE. 

self alludes, and that in the days of Herod there was simply 
enacted another scene over which Rachel might bow in lamenta- 
tion. 

A very remarkable prophecy is also found in 
The 01 .00 . 

'• Backsliding .— — • 

Daughter " "How long wilt thou go hither and thither, 

O thou backsliding daughter? 

For Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth : 
A woman shall encompass a man." 

Various views have been proposed in explanation of these 
words. (1) The "backsliding daughter" refers to Judah, 
which at this time was very wicked. The nation is encouraged 
not to be in doubt concerning the future, as one going hither and 
thither in confusion ; for Jehovah is to bring about a new condi- 
tion in which people will be in so great safety that a woman will 
be able to protect her husband rather than that the husband must 
protect his wife. In this view the passage means simply to 
announce a time of peace and security, which would certainly 
be a new thing to the people of Jeremiah's time. (2) Another 
view is that Israel as a feeble woman will be able to take even the 
manlike Chaldeans captive (Calvin). (3) By another view 
it is strictly Messianic, and refers to the miraculous conception 
of Jesus by Mary. In support of this last view it is said that 
"created" implies a divine power, a miracle; that "woman" 
implies an individual rather than a collection of persons; that 
"a new thing" means something that never existed before, such 
as the conception and divine-human personality of Christ. It 
is by no means certain that the last view is preferable to the 
first. 

Children's Another valuable statement is found in 31: 

Teeth on Edge. 29, 30, 

"In those days they shall say no more, 
The fathers have eaten sour grapes, 
And the children's teeth are set on edge. 
But every one shall die for his own iniquity: 
Every man that hath eaten the sour grapes, 
His teeth shall be set on edge." 

It is probable that the people of Judah had resisted punish- 
ments for the sins of their fathers, and that the prophet informs 
them that the time is coming when they will see that God visits 



THE RESTORATION AND NEW COVENANT. 207 

penalties only upon those who are themselves guilty; and then 
they will no longer say that the children are affected by the do- 
ings of their parents, but rather that each will acknowledge that 
he himself is guilty and suffers a just retribution. 
The New Perhaps the most important statement of 

Covenant. t i iese chapters is that in 31:31-34, 

"Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, 

That I will make a new covenant 

With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 

In the day that I took them by the hand 

To bring them out of the land of Egypt; 

Which my covenant they break, 

Although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. 

But this is the covenant that I will make 

Willi the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: 

I will put my law in their inward parts, 

Ami in their heart will I write it; 

And I will lie their Clod, and they shall be my people: 

And they shall teach no more every man his brother, 

Maying, Know Jehovah; 

For they shall all know me, 

From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: 

For I will forgive their ini quity, 

And their sin will I remember no more. ' ' 

This prediction promises that a new method of securing 
obedience to Jehovah will be followed in the later times; and 
this will not be after the Mosaic method of prescribing strict le- 
gal enactments, but by the new plan of planting convictions in 
the mind and the promptings of love in the heart. See Heb. 
viii. In this way men will be moved by the loftiest considera- 
tions, and conscience will have a more perfect sway in the soul. 
This was begun feebly by a regular system of instruction in di- 
vine things after the Exile ; but even in that period law was still 
dominant, and escape from punishment was still a leading motive. 
Only in the Christian covenant may be found a genuine illus- 
tration of the new plan of governing the world. By this new 
covenant every person who comes to God must be informed, 
not only concerning the Divine Being, but also concerning Christ 
and his work for the race. In this way men are taught the fun- 
damental principles of God's will before they enter the cove- 
nant ; and when they enter, the reign of law is set aside, and the 



208 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

grace of God offering pardon of sins becomes the new ground of 
justification. Under this new covenant each person will be 
taught his duty continually, and the love of God and man in 
the heart will constantly inspire deeds far nobler and more phil- 
anthropic than the law requires. Under such circumstances it 
would be impossible for the people to regard themselves as be- 
longing to Jehovah while really they were unfaithful and ini- 
quitous as in the days of Jeremiah. Acceptance with God under 
the new covenant is a personal and definite committal of the soul 
to Him, and will not depend on birth or nationality. It seems 
impossible that the character of the Christian covenant should 
be so clearly foretold except by a direct Messianic prevision. 
7. Permanence of David's Covenant. Psalms Ixxxix, exxxii 
The date of these two Psalms may not be defi- 

Date " nitely ascertained; but Ps. 89:38-46 clearly re- 

fers to some great national reverses, defeat and devastation, in 
which event the crown and throne of David were lost. This was 
true in Jeremiah's time, and not so notably true at any other 
time. The character of the Psalms throughout corresponds well 
with this date ; and since no more appropriate period can be as- 
signed for them, their Messianic contents may well be studied 
in relation to the events of Jeremiah's age. 

The leading reference to David's covenant is 

Reference to f QUnd iu 89 . 3> ^ 

p V piiqnt "^ liave raade a covenant with my chosen, 

covenant. x tave gworn unto Tj av i<} mv servant: 

Thy seed will I establish forever, 
And build up thy throne to all generations." 
With this should be compared the promises to David in 
2 Sam 7 :11-16. This covenant containing the promises was made 
with David while he was on the throne. Therein the seed of 
David was established upon the throne forever. This could not 
be exhausted in the reign of Solomon, nor even in that of any 
successor of Solomon. 

The chief Messianic elements of these Psalms 

Messianic are, (1) The covenant between Jehovah and 

Elements: David is recalled to mind, and God's faithful- 

Tnron"e Ut ""* nes * with respect to it is commemorated. The 

promise is held by Him the more sacred, be- 



PERMANENCE OF DAVID'S COVENANT. 209 

cause it was confirmed by an oath. (2) David's seed and his 
throne are to endure forever (89:29). It can hardly be ques- 
tioned that this prophecy includes Christ and the Messianic 
reign. 

(3) Zion will be Jehovah's dwelling-place 

iweUingWe. forever ( 132:13 > 14 ^ . The P^petuity of Je- 
hovah's dwelling-place in Zion can hardly refer 
to any predetermined continuance of the temple in Jerusalem or 
of the priestly functions according to the Mosaic economy; but 
must refer to the antitype of Zion and of the temple, the church. 
The city of Jerusalem was at the beginning of Christianity the 
seat and source of the Christian instruction which went abroad 
among the nations ; and as such a source or center for the Church 
and its work, it came by a very natural figure of speech to stand 
for the church itself. Not only so, but also when the prophet is 
uttering a prediction concerning the church, it is most con- 
venient for him to use some such term as Zion to represent the j 
future spiritual body which he was not prepared to describe- 
more particularly. This same principle applies to the Levitical' 
priesthood, to the temple and to the country of Juclah; for in all 
cases in which the prophet must speak of future institutions, 
he must use terms familiar to his people to whom he could not 
describe the new institutions more exactly. 

(4) The priests of Zion will be clothed with 
Saint? and salvation, and the saints shall shout for joy 

(132:16). It is probable that the prophecy in- 
cludes the righteous priests and other worshipers of Jerusalem 
who in any age might bring acceptable service to Jehovah; but 
must also include the chosen ones of the Messianic age, who with 
the most perfect sacrificial offering to commend them to God, 
and with the most direct access to God through Christ, are en- 
abled to worship Jehovah in the manner which is more acceptable 
to Him than any other which He ever ordained. The clothing of 
salvation well becomes those who have washed their robes in the 
blood of the lamb and have prepared to be arrayed in spotless 
white ; so also the shout of joy is most appropriate to those who 
through Christ have overcome the world. 



o 1() THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

SUMMARY. 

The emphatic features of Messianic import in those prophecies 
which seem to belong to the period of Jeremiah may be summed 
up as follows: . 

1 Jehovah will be among His people, who m their own lands 
will worship Him in humility, and renounce all other gods ; and 
a iudgment shall be visited against the heathen m all lands 
while the people of Jehovah shall have a spiritual restoration and 
eniov the presence of God in their midst, Zephaniah. 

2. Nations shall be reborn in Zion into the citizenship and 
service of Jehovah. Ps. ST. 

3 lUthough Jehovah will chastise His own people, He will 
punish wicked nations with complete overthrow, and save the just 
by faith. Habakkuk. 

4 Jehovah's throne will be in Jerusalem, where the 
righteous shall be well instructed, and where the nations shall 
be gathered into the service of God. Jer. 3 :14-18 

5. The righteous Branch shall rule on David s throne, and 
the priesthood" shall never fail. Jer. 23 :5-7 ; 33 :14-22. 

6 A combined priest and ruler shall arise from among the 
common people; and a new covenant with its principles deeply 
implanted in the heart of every one with whom it is made shall 
be set forth by Jehovah, and shall be accompanied by the knowl- 
edge of Jehovah and of His will and the forgiveness of sins. 
Jer. 30:9, 21; 31:31-34. 

7 The covenant formerly made with David, by which his 
seed and his throne should endure forever, will stand, and will 
be further supported by the dwelling of Jehovah in Zion. 

Psalms 89 and 132. 

We have noted hitherto that in every period 
Ideas of the of prop i 1 ecy the Messianic features have a cer- 
Peri0d * tain correspondence to the religious and polit- 

ical conditions in the time of the prophets. In Jeremiah's period 
wickedness prevailed in Judah, and an overthrow of the ^avidic 
rule with the captivity of the nation was imminent; and those 
seemed to endanger the promises of God to David and to threaten 
a permanant separation between Jehovah and the people whom 



SUMMARY OF PERIOD OF JEREMIAH. 211 

He had adopted for His own. Accordingly, the burden of 
prophecy at this time, so far as it is Messianic, relates to Je- 
hovah's presence and continuance in Zion and to the certainty 
that David's seed shall not fail to inherit his throne. In keeping 
with these leading prophecies, are those in which the nations of 
the earth are involved, either as being overthrown for their vices 
and cruelties, or as being reborn in Zion and admitted to the ser- 
vice of Jehovah. The fact that the covenants by which the 
people had been bound to Jehovah hitherto had been broken by 
them, served as a suitable occasion to predict that a new covenant 
would be formed in which those who might be interested would 
not stand in ignorance of God and be cast away unpardoned, 
but would know Him from the least to the greatest, and be kept 
in constant acceptance with Him. Thus the threatened over- 
throw of Zion and her king furnished a suitable occasion to 
promise a future dwelling of Jehovah in the holy city, an inter- 
national citizenship, and a new and better covenant. 



CHAPTER VII. 



PROPHECIES OF THE EXILE. 

1. The Stone Cut out of the Mountain. Dan. ii. 31-45. 

Concerning the date of the writing of the 
book of Daniel in its present form, it is not 
necessary here to enter into discussions nor to reach conclusions, 
in order to meet the requirements of this study. If we may be 
able to determine the time out of which the prophecy is rep- 
resented to have arisen, and hence to secure the historical cir- 
cumstances which are intended by the author to be the environ- 
ment of his message, enough will be gained to meet the present 
need. A discussion of the date of the book of Daniel is reserved 
for another work. According to the prophetic record king 
Nebuchadnezzar had a notable dream in the second year of his 
reign. It is known that this king ruled for a short time jointly 
with his father; but it is probable that in this case the second 
year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign after the death of his father is 
meant. Daniel was captured by the Babylonians and carried 
away from Palestine in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakin 
(Dan. 1:1), which was about one year before the independent 
reign of Nebuchadnezzar began (Jer. 25:1), or about 605 B. C. 
It would seem that the king had this dream after the three 
years of Daniel's preparation had expired; for Daniel is im- 
mediately exalted to a rank that would be inconsistent with a 
continuance of his test as a youth. Dan. 1 :5, 18. So the dream 
occurred about 602 B. C. 

In his dream the king saw a great image, 

zar^DreanT wnose liea< ^ was °^ ^ ne Sold, the breast and arms 

of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs 

of iron, and the feet part of iron and part of clay; and he saw 

a stone cu1 ou1 of the mountain which broke in pieces the image, 



THE REIGN OF THE SON OF MAN. 213 

beginning with the feet and finally destroying the image alto- 
gether, the stone then becoming a great mountain filling all the 
land. Daniel's interpretation was that the different parts of the 
image represented four different kingdoms that should rise in 
succession, that of Nebuchadnezzar being the first ; and the stone 
represented the kingdom of God. The description of this last 
kingdom is given in these words : 

"And in the days of those kings shalJ the God of heaven set ur> a 
kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof 
be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all 
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." 

Interpreters are not altogether agreed in their 
The Kingdoms. identification of the four kingdoms. Some hold 

that they are the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greek and 
the Eoinan ; while others say they are the Babylonian, the Median, 
the Persian and the Greek. One point of importance in this 
diversity of interpretation is the time in which the kingdom of 
God should be set up. The prophecy says that it should be "in the 
days of those kings;" but if the last of the four kingdoms was 
the Greek, it was overthrown, and "those kings" had perished 
before the advent of the Messiah and the beginning of his 
kingdom. It is clear that the kingdom of God was set up in the 
time of the Roman kings ; and there is some reason for regarding 
the Medo-Persian kingdom as one, since neither the Median nor 
Persian was worthy to be compared with the other great king- 
doms until their combination into one strong power. There is in 
any case no doubt that the little stone represented the Messianic 
kingdom, not only because no other kingdom of God was set up 
after Daniel's day, but also because the character of the kingdom 
as here described exactly corresponds to the Messianic dominion, 
which is rapidly taking possession of the great kingdoms of the 
earth, and from a small beginning is gradually assuming im- 
mense proportions. 

2. The Reign of the Son of Man. Dan. vii. 

The time in which this prophecy is set was the 
The Time. ^ yQgx q£ ^ re[gn f Belsha z zar (7:1). It 

is now assured that this king was a son of Nabonidus, and that 



214 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

he reigned jointly with his father at least three years (Dan. 
8:1) ; but he was captured about the same time as his father, 
and hence did not have an independent reign. When the Baby- 
lonian kingdom was about to be taken, Nabonidus with a portion 
of the army surrendered at Borsippa, and soon afterward Baby- 
lon was taken, and Belshazzar was probably slain about 538 B. C. 
Accordingly the first year of Belshazzar may have been 541 B. C. 
Daniel had a dream or night-vision in which 
Daniel's ^e gaw ^ our k eas f; S eome ir p from the sea. The 

first was like a lion with eagle wings, and it was 
made to stand upright as a man and receive a man's heart. The 
second was like a bear with three ribs in its mouth, and it was 
told to arise and devour much flesh. The third was like a leopard 
with four wings and four heads, and it received dominion. The 
fourth was a very strong and terrible animal with great iron 
teeth and ten horns ; among the horns a smaller one arose before 
which three of the former horns were plucked up, and the last 
horn had eyes as a man and a mouth speaking great things. He 
saw also one called "the ancient of days," seated on a throne 
in great glory, surrounded by thousands of ministers; and a 
judgment was instituted, and the beast with horns was slain 
and burned, while dominion was taken away from the other 
beasts. Also one "like unto a son of man," came with the clouds 
of heaven, and received dominion over the world, and was to 
have perpetual rule and an indestructible kingdom. The inter- 
pretation of this, as given by the prophet, is, that the four beasts 
are four kings, and the saints of the Most High are to receive 
an everlasting kingdom. The beast and little horn represent 
opposition to the saints, but the saints prevail. 

The important part of this prophecy is' thus 

^gdom 11 "^" ^pressed in the record: 

"The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon 
jearth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the 
whole earth, ami shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And as for 
the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another 
shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he 
Bhall put down three kings. And he shall speak words against the Most 
High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think 
to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand 
until a time and times and half a time. But the judgment shall be set, 



THE REIGN OF THE SON OF MAN. 215 

and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it 
unto the end. And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of 
the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of 
the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 
and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Dan. 7:23-27. 

From this it is evident that the fourth beast represents an 
earthly kingdom having many kings ; but the number ' ' ten ' T 
may be a definite for an indefinite number. This kingdom shall 
stand in opposition to the kingdom to which the people of God 
shall belong. It further teaches the final victory of the kingdom 
of God and the downfall of the earthly kingdom. 

It seems probable that the. "ancient of days" 

Mess£S? d0m means Jehovah in His ^ory. The "One like 
the Son of Man" seems to represent the Mes- 
siah receiving from God His kingdom. The fact that an ever- 
lasting dominion and indestructible kingdom are contemplated, 
makes it almost certain that the Messianic kingdom is meant. 
It is difficult to conceive of any other or even how a prophet 
could think of another. It is true that according to 1 Cor. 15 :24, 
28, the kingdom of Christ shall be delivered up to God, that the 
Father may be all in all ; but this does not interfere with the pe r- 
petuity of the kingdom itself. 

As in the case of the four kingdoms foretold 

The Fourth ^ n connec ti n with Nebuchadnezzar's dream, so 

Kingdom. . . ,. 

in this passage there is some dispute among in- 
terpreters on the identity of the fourth kingdom. As before, 
one view makes it the Greek, and the other makes it the Roman. 
If it be the Greek, the little horn is supposed to represent 
Antiochus Epiphanes; but if it be the Roman, the little horn is 
thought to represent some anti-christian power in the Roman 
world which may not be certainly indentified. The Messianic 
value of the prediction respecting the everlasting kingdom is 
not dependent upon the date of the Book of Daniel ; for whether 
the book was finished by Daniel himself or by some person about 
the time of Antiochus, it must have been two centuries or more 
before the Messianic kingdom was inaugurated, and it here un- 
mistakably gives a prediction of a circumstance connected with 
the Messianic kingdom which has proved true, but which had not 
been told by preceding prophets. There is little ground for 



216 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

holding that the author must have delivered his message con- 
cerning Antioehus after the events had gone to history, as some 
hold, if it 1)(' true that he foretold matters concerning the king- 
dom of God centuries before they came to pass and before they 
could be known without supernatural assistance.* 

:;. The Seventy Weeks. Dan. ix. 20-37. 

The time of this prophecy, as indicated in 

9:1, was "the first year of Darius the son of 

Ahasuenis. of the seed of the Medes," which seems to have been 

immediately after the Fall of Babylon into the hands of the 

Medes and Persians in 538 B. C. 

The account represents Daniel as worshiping 
Message. 



one afternoon and being visited by Gabriel, who 



sa 



id, 



''<) Daniel, 1 am now come forth to give thee wisdom and under- 
standing. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went 
forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: there- 
fore consider tin- matter, and understand the vision. Seventy weeks 
aii' decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgres- 
sion, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity 
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and 
prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know therefore ami discern, 
that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build 
Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince shall be seven weeks, and 
threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and 
moat, even in troublous times. And after the threescore and two weeks 
shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the peo- 
ple of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanc- 
tuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end 

*While the reasoning given above is valid in support of a possible 
foresight of A.ntiochus and his immediate predecessors by an earlier 
prophet, it does not wholly meet the argument for a later date of the 
Book of Daniel in its present form based on the improbability that a 
writer in Daniel's day in the Persian period would foretell at length 
the history of Egyptian and Syrian kings in the Grecian period, in 
many of whom the Jews were to have little interest. In fact, the 
early date of Daniel requires the assumption that God revealed a large 
amount of history two centuries in advance for reasons that remain 
obscure to men; for no adequate reason for such a departure from the 
regular prophetic custom has been discovered. That God could do this, 
few will deny; but would He.' Yet those who urge a later date must 
note the weakness of an argument based on man's ignorance of divine 
reasons. 



THE SEVENTY WEEKS. 217 

■shall be war; desolations are determined. And he shall make a firm 
covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he 
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of 
abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full 
end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.'' 
Dan. 9:22-27. 

The content of this prophecy is fairly clear. 
Seventy weeks are appointed within which a re- 
markable consummation of prophetic events relating to the 
Jewish people is to be reached. These events are summed up by 
the prophet: (1) to finish transgression. (2) to make an end of 
sins, (3) to make reconciliation for iniquity, (4) to bring in 
everlasting righteousness, (5) to seal up vision and prophecy, 
and (6) to anoint the most holy. Next, there shall be sixty-nine 
weeks from the decree to build Jerusalem to the coming of "the 
anointed, the prince," and during which the city shall be rebuilt. 
Then, at the end of the period "the anointed" shall be cut off. 
Last of all, the army of a coming prince shall destroy the city 
and temple with complete desolation, and cause the regular 
sacrificial worship to cease. 

In character the prediction is certainly 
apocalyptic. It is framed in terms purposely 
indefinite, to prevent certain enemies of the Jews from knowing 
that they were the. objects of the prophecy. Undoubtedly the 
utterance is given to encourage the Jews during the times of 
distress, lest they despair of Jehovah's promises, forsake their 
faith and thwart the divine purpose concerning them. This was 
the more necessary since the Jews probably expected the pre- 
dictions of the pre-exilic prophets to be fulfilled immediately 
after the return from the Exile, which in the condition of the 
nation at that time was impossible. The long delay of the Mes- 
sianic blessing and the protracted sorrows of the people made 
it necessary to foretell an interval whose limits were definite in 
the mind of God, during which patient endurance must be culti- 
vated. 

The interpretation of this passage baffles the 

Questions. acumen of the wisest scholar. More than a 

score of theories have been proposed, against every one of which 

may be lodged very serious objections. It is uncertain what is 



218 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

meant by ''weeks," whether exact or round numbers are used r 
when the " commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem" 
was made, whether the seven weeks are to be estimated separately 
from the sixty-two weeks, whether the "anointed" is the Messiah 
or Antiochus Epiphanes, and whether or not the prince whose 
people shall destroy the city is the same as the "anointed." Also- 
other questions arise in attempting to answer these. Under such 
circumstances it seems becoming- to state a view only in a tenta- 
tive form. 

The things to be accomplished within the 

Things to Be sev enty weeks, or at the end of that period. 

Accomplished. r ' . . * T 

are: (1) To finish transgression, or the He- 
brew text seems to favor the sense "to restrain transgression;" 
and this may signify the transgression of the heathen against 
the Jews, which brought great suffering and impatience to the 
chosen people. Possibly it may be broad enough to include the 
transgressions of all men. (2) "To make an end of sin;" and 
this also may be understood as referring to heathen sins against 
the Jews, or to the sins of the world as ended in the salvation 
provided by Christ. (3) "To make reconciliation for iniquity," 
which means, according to Jewish usage, to make atonement by 
sacrifice (cf. Lev. 1 :4) ; and since ordinary sacrifices were offered 
immediately after the return from the Exile, it must apply to 
Hi.it future ideal offering in the Messianic age. (4) "To bring 
in everlasting righteousness," which must also by its very per- 
petuity belong to the time of the Messiah, although possibly the 
Language does not forbid a beginning of such righteousness be- 
fore the coining of the Messiah. It is certain, historically, that 
no greal reformation in the morality of the people occurred be- 
fore the coming of the Messiah, except such as was connected 
with the return of the exiles and the work of Nehemiah and 
Ezra; and the righteousness thus introduced was by no means 
everlasting. (5) "To seal up vision and prophecy." which may 
mean either a final cessation of prophetic work, or a fulfilment 
of prophecies. The former is favored by the Hebrew text which 
says' "vision and prophet." It is now apparent that the pro- 
phetic office ceased directly after the beginning of the Messianic 
work; bnl not all prophecy, even Old Testament prophecy, has 



THE SEVENTY WEEKS. 219 

been fulfilled. (6) "To anoint the most holy" (Hebrew, "holy 
of holies '0, which is ambiguous. The tabernacle and its furni- 
ture and the altar of burnt-offering in the tabernacle court were 
all to be anointed and deemed most holy (Ex. 30:26-29). Those 
who hold that none of this prophecy reaches beyond the time of 
the Maccabees usually apply this to the consecration of the altar 
of burnt-offering which had been desecrated by Antiochus 
Epiphanes (1 Mace. 4:54). Others, observing that according to 
one translation of 1 Chron. 23 :13 a person, the high-priest, may 
be "most holy," that the tabernacle and its appointments may 
be considered typical of Christ and Christian things, and that 
Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38), and was 
the only anointed person or thing in the Messianic realm, to 
which the atonement and everlasting righteousness seem to be- 
long, are convinced that the Messiah himself is in this case the 
"most holy" (cf. Luke 1:35). 

The term ' ' weeks ' ' does not mean sabbaths, 
as some have asserted, the Hebrew word having 
no connection with the word sabbath; but the original word is 
the regular and only word for week in the Old Testament. Most 
scholars urge that it means here "weeks of. years," although it 
does not have such a meaning anywhere else in the whole Bible. 
The chief reason for supposing that the week here means seven 
years is the fact that seventy weeks of years (490 years) seem 
better than any other meaning to suit the period to which the 
prediction is supposed to refer. No calculations, however, can 
quite make the 490 years fit the historical dates of the events 
here mentioned. 

The first decree for the return of the exiles 
Calculations frQm Baby]onia was issned by Cyrus ( Ezra 

1:1-4) in 536 B. C. Supposing that the "anointed" is the Mes- 
siah, who was born 4 B. C, began His ministry 26 A. D., and 
was crucified 29 A. D., the 490 years are far too short to reach 
from Cyrus' decree to any time in the life of Christ; and be- 
sides this, Cyrus' decree was for the rebuilding of the temple, 
not "to rebuild Jerusalem." Artaxefxes made a decree in his 
seventh year, 457 B. C. (Ezra vii), from which some count 
"seven weeks," or forty-nine years to the year 408 B. C, when 



220 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Nehemiah finished his work of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem; 
then counting "threescore and two weeks," or 434 years, the 
date 26 A. D. is reached, when Jesus began His ministry, and 
mighl be said to be "cut off" by being separated as a victim for 
sacrifice. This certainly is the nearest approach to a coinci- 
dence of dates that has yet been suggested; but unfortunately 
this decree of Artaxerxes was not "to restore and to build Jeru- 
salem," which this prophecy contemplates.* A later decree by 
Artaxerxes in his twentieth year. 445 B. C, included the permis- 
sion to Nehemiah to build the city (Neh. 2:5-8) ; but 490 years, 
or leaving off the one week, 483 years, do not reach an event 
that seems to be predicted in this passage ; for it brings us to 38 
A. D., about the time of the stoning of Stephen and the call of 
Saul to his apostleship ; or including the other seven years, we 
come to 45 A. D., which certainly does not mark a notable Mes- 
sianic occurrence. Many other calculations still more widely 
miss the mark; and it seems that the interpretation of weeks as 
seven years each does not result satisfactorily, unless we under- 
stand that the prophet was either mistaken in his dates or in- 
tended only a loose approximation of the time.** 

*In this decree Ezra was sent (1) "to inquire concerning Judah and 
Jerusalem;" (2) "to carry silver and gold" offered "for the God of 
Israel," to be expended in sacrifices; (3) to require provinces "beyond 
the Eiver" (west of the Euphrates) to aid Ezra; (4) "to appoint 
magistrates and judges" west of the Euphrates; and (5) to teach and 
execute the law of God- Ezra 7:13-26. In this there is no allusion to 
building or rebuilding any part of Jerusalem. 

**Orelli follows the theory of weeks of seven years each, counts the 
first seven during the Exile, 588-53(3, and observes that the remaining 
sixty-two weeks end about 100 years before Christ! He then adds, 
."But these typical weeks in prophecy are not to be taken at all as mere 
mathematical quantities." We might ask, Why then count them as 
such quantities? He thinks that "the editor and redactor of the Book 
of Daniel has identified the last week, following the sixty-two and 
beginning witli the killing of the Messiah, with his own time, and the 
second half of the same with the desecration of the temple by Antiochus 
(ix. 27). How he reckoned in order to obtain sixty-two (fifty-two 
instead), weeks from 536 to 170, has not been satisfactorily shown." 
Mes. Proph. \>. 465- All these remarks only further illustrate the en- 
tanglements of the year-day theory. See the author's Principles of 
Interpretation, pp. 240-252. 



THE SEVENTY WEEKS. 221 

The interminable confusion and difficulties 
A Better £ ^hose w j 10 interpret the "weeks" to be seven 

years each, suggest that possibly a better view 
might be taken. There is no good reason for not understanding 
the prophet to use the seven weeks, the sixty-two weeks, and 
other periods elsewhere according to the simple figure of synech- 
doche, a definite for an indefinite time. The object of the 
prophecy is not to set dates ; for that, like calling names in ad- 
vance, is too precise to accomplish the true ends of prophecy. The 
real aim is to encourage the Jewish people not to despair at 
God's delays and their own sufferings; and this is accomplished 
by predicting events fraught with great blessing to the Jews in 
harmony with God's previous promises and by giving the Jews 
clearly to understand that although the time is not immediately 
at hand, it is at least definite in the mind of Jehovah. Precisely 
these things are realized by this prophecy. Either weeks Or 
days used in a prophecy like this would most naturally convey 
to the Jewish reader the idea of periods of definite lengths in 
the mind of God, but presumably much longer than literal weeks 
or days. There is no good reason for assuming that the Jewish 
mind would ever imagine that a day stood for a year, or that 
a week stood for seven years. 

If the Maccabean date of the book of Daniel 

"Weeks" Tried be adopted, as many recent scholars recommend. 

By Maccabean th ere i s s tiH reason for holding that the weeks 

are definite for indefinite periods. If seven 

years be counted for each week, and the final events of the 

prophecy are not to be regarded as later than the time of An- 

tiochus, or his fall, 172 or 168 B. C, the sixty-two weeks, or 

434 years, must be counted back from these dates, and would 

reach to 606 or 602 B. C, the' time of the first attack of 

Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, much too far back to suit 

this prophecy. Of course, sixty-nine or seventy weeks, 483 or 

490 years, would extend still farther beyond any reasonable date. 

Accordingly, few interpreters of this class attempt to defend 

calculations on the theory of seven-year weeks. 

The It can hardly be doubted that the "restor- 

" Anointed." ing and building of Jerusalem" in this passage 



222 THE MESSIANIC .MESSAGE. 

must be understood to refer to the restoration of the city by the 
returning exiles from Babylonia. It seems most probable also 
that the "anointed, the prince," would be interpreted by most 
Jews who were familiar with preceding prophecies as referring 
to the Messiah; and if the writer had meant another person, it 
would be most natural for him to give more specific indication 
of his purpose. The prophecies concerning David's seed as the 
occupant of his throne have been numerous and unmistakable; 
and it is manifest that such a person would be the anointed, and 
the most eminent anointed one in the expectation of the Jews.* 
Add to this the indications that the Messiah also should exercise 
the functions of high priest, who was also anointed, and it be- 
comes the more probable that the Messiah is meant. 

At the end of the sixty-nine weeks the 

?i« e *.*.- i-w^,, anointed one was to be "cut off, and to have 
Cutting On. 

nothing." This has been applied by one class 

of interpreters to refer to the fall of Antiochus, and by another 

class to the death of Christ. Certainly the expression "have 

nothing" is very ambiguous, and might refer to an evil monarch 

coming abruptly and helplessly to the end of his career under 

the judgment of God, or to the Messiah slain without posterity 

and without worldly success as a ruler. If the anointed be the 

Messiah, as seems best to suit the spirit of the prophecy, and as 

most of the early Jewish scholars understood, the cutting off 

must refer to his death, which was certainly a most important 

feature of the divine purpose in his coming into the world. 

From the ordinary political point of view Jesus had nothing 

at all, seeing that he did not establish any visible kingdom, was 

*The position and argument of C. A. Briggs on this point are worthy 
of regard: "We cannot accept the theory, which prevails with the 
majority of modern critics, that the prophecy relates to the afflictions 
in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. .... If we suppose that Daniel 
was the orignal author of the prediction, there would be less likelihood 
of his thinking of the Antiochan affliction, and more intrinsic probability 
of his thinking of the ultimate affliction in accordance with the usage of 
Old Testament prophecy. From this point of view the Antiochan times 
may be regarded as an historical anticipation of the Messianic afflic- 
tion, but not as the fulfilment of the prediction of Daniel, who agrees 
with all the prophets in looking forward to the times of the Messiah 
and disregarding intervening events." 



THE SEVENTY WEEKS. 223 

not exalted to a throne, and secured no political eminence 

«mong men. 

The prince whose people should destroy the 

' ,, 
: Covenant, 



' ■ city and the sanctuary seems to arise after the 



anointed one has been cut off. This does not 
well suit the events following the death of Antiochus; but it 
seems better to correspond with the fall of Jerusalem under 
Titus after the death of Jesus. This also comports well with 
the fact that Jesus, according to the gospel writers, foretold the 
destruction of the city and the awful desolations connected with 
it and which are mentioned in this prophecy. The "firm cove- 
nant with many for one week" might refer to the covenant of 
Christ with men, which, during a short period before the fall 
of Jerusalem, Jesus and his embassadors were making among 
the Jewish people ; or it might be prophetic of the terms of peace 
between the Jews and the Romans previous to the fall of the 
city, but which terminated when the Roman army entered Pal- 
estine. If the "firm covenant" was made by Christ, it was 
he that "caused the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" by 
making his own sacrifice for the world, and leaving no further 
need of the offerings of the Mosaic law; but if the covenant 
was made by the Romans, it was they that caused the sacrifices 
to cease by the overthrow of the city of Jerusalem and of the 
temple. This is also sometimes referred to Antiochus, who sus- 
pended the Jewish offerings and foully polluted the altar of 
burnt-offering.* The passage certainly affords room for a differ- 
ence of interpretation. 

The Messianic character of the prophecj^ may 
Messianic w j^ some uncertainty be presented thus: (1) 

God has in mind a definite period before the 
full accomplishment of His most glorious purposes with the 
Jews, but He leaves the time indefinite to the people, who are 

*Farrar (Expos. Com., Daniel) holds that seven weeks begin with the 
fall of Jerusalem, 588 B. C-, and end 536 with the decree of Cyrus 
(Ezra 1:2, 3), and that the sixty-two weeks end with the murder of Onias 
III. by Antiochus about 171 B. C., and yet he encounters in the calculation 
a discrepancy "of at least sixty-five years." Concerning this he says, 
"Not one single suggestion has ever accounted for it, or has ever given 
■exactitude to these computations on any tenable hypothesis." He thinks 



224 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

to understand thai His plans are none the less certain of reali- 
zation. (2) In the course of time transgression is to be finished, 
an end will be made of sins, the reconciliation for iniquity will 
be brought about, eyerlasting righteousness will be ushered in, 
the prophetic office will be closed, and he that is most holy will 
be anointed. All these items find a large significance in the mis- 
sion of Christ, and a comparatively unimportant place in the 
career of any other. (3) The Anointed One shall be cut off, and 
his career will seem as a bootless failure among men, because 
he will attain no such political eminence as common expecta- 
tion planned for him. (4) The city of Jerusalem and its sanc- 
tuary shall be destroyed in war, and thereby the sacrifices and 
oblations of the Jews shall be brought to an end ; but this shall 
occur not till after the cutting off of that One whose offering 
shall render all others empty and unavailing. 

4. Tin Great Retribution. Ban. xii. 

This chapter opens with an allusion to a crisis 

Persia 16 With m the mstor ^ of the Jewisn people represented in 
dramatic form. The prophet had before this 
(10:13) received a vision in which "the prince of the kingdom 
of Persia" had withstood him, but Michael, who is here called 
"the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people," 
had come and assisted the prophet against the prince of Persia. 
This can only mean that in some way the Jewish people had 
been in great peril in the hands of Persia, but that by divine help 
they were delivered. In the vision one of the persons seen by 
the prophet stood for the Persian power, while the other, 
Michael, stood for the interests of the Jews. We can imagine 
that but for divine help the Persian government might have 

exactness was not to he expected, and says, "Any exact accuracy of 
chronology would have been far more surprising in a writer of the 
Maccabean era than round numbers and vague computations. Precise 
computation is aowhere prevalenl in the sacred books." He recounts 
Schurer's three "exactly similar mistakes of reckoning" made by 
Josephus. Had all such writers at the first understood the seventy 
weeks as a definite for an indefinite period, the simple figure of 
synechdoche, these discrepancies and accusations of error might have 
been averted. 



THE GREAT RETRIBUTION. 225 

completely absorbed the little fragment of the Jewish nation 
which was in exile in Persian lands ; but since God had a far-off 
purpose connected with the Jews, He did not permit them to be 
lost among their enemies. 

The The following passage contains a remarkable 

Resurrection. prediction of a resurrection and retribution: 

"And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there 
was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall 
be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And 
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to 
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And 
they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and 
they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the 
time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be in- 
creased." Dan. 12:1-4. 

AVhat "time of trouble" this may be, may not certainly be 
told; but since the time of Antiochus seems very clearly to be 
described in the previous chapter, it is probable that his reign, 
which was full of acts of despotic cruelty, was the time of 
trouble to which reference is here made. The resurrection seems 
in the prophecy to follow the "time of trouble;" but it is not 
so closely connected in the text as to imply immediate subse- 
quence. The writer seems rather to refer to a resurrection 
at the end of the present age and at the dawn of eternity. This 
is implied by the terms "some to everlasting life, and some to 
shame and everlasting contempt," and "as the stars forever and 
ever." The resurrection can hardly be national, as in Hos. 13: 
14, where the restoration of Israel is represented under the 
figure of a resurrection (cf. Ezek. 37:1-14) ; but in this case the 
judgment following the resurrection is for individuals accord- 
in g to the character of their personal lives. In the New Testa- 
menl similar language is used and applied to a general and per- 
sonal resurrection (John 5:28, 29; Kev. 20:12, 13). While the 
very words of Daniel are not quoted in the New Testament, they 
are imitated, and the thought is parallel. No national resurrec- 
tion has occurred since Antiochus; for the restoration that slowly 
Followed his denth applied mainly to the civil and religious 
privileges of the Jews, whose national and personal character 
remained virtually tin 1 same as before. If this passage contem- 



226 TJ1E MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

plates a personal resurrection, the prophecy is in advance of 
previous predictions which have been only national. When 
Daniel is told to '"shut up the words, and seal the hook, even 
to the time of the end." it does not mean that the time of ful- 
filment had already arrived, but that his prophetic work in writ- 
ten form should he closed up and laid aside to abide the ful- 
filment. 

Another "Vision. Another vision is briefly described as follows: 

' ' Then I. Daniel, looked, and, behold, there stood 
other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the 
other on the brink of the river on that side. And one said 
to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. How 
long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man 
elothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held 
up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him 
that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and 
when they have made an end of breaking in p:eees the power of the 
holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but I under- 
stood not; then said I, O my lord, what shall be the issue of these 
thingsl And he said, go thy way, Daniel; for the words are shut up 
and sealed till the time of the end." Dan. 12:5-9. 

"Time Times ^* le P ersons wno appear in the vision are not 

and a Half." identified by the prophet, because it was not 
accessary to know who they were if it be granted 
only that they were divine messengers. The most valuable feat- 
ure in their revelation is that which relates to the time of 
fulfilment, which is expressed in mysterious terms. It i£ not 
possible to set a definite sum of years that shall stand in every 
ease for tlie expression "time, times and a half." Many per- 
sons have assumed that "time" equals one year, that "times'" 
equals two years, and that the whole expression ecpials three 
and one-half years, which must be reduced to days, and each 
(Y\y stand for a year, making the total 1260 years.* A like sum 
is reached by computing the "forty-two months" (Rev. 11:2") 
as 42 times 30 days, and each day counted as a year. This plan 
of computation is without a foundation in reason or revelation. 
It is claimed by some that the key to the method is found in 

A far simpler view is adopted by those who regard the period as the 
time between the desecrafon of the temple by Antiochus and its recon- 
secration by Judas Maccabaeus, which was literally three and one-half 



THE GREAT RETRIBUTION. 227 

Ezek. 4:4-6, in which the prophet is represented as lying upon 
first one side and then the other in the presence of the people 
for a certain number of days, and is told that each day shall 
represent a year appointed of God for him to bear the iniquity 
of the house of Israel ; but the case of Ezekiel furnishes no clue 
to the prophetic numbers and times in the book of Daniel, nor 
to any other passage than this one in Ezekiel. That prophet 
performed a simple symbolic act requiring a certain number of 
days, each of which represented a year in Israel's history; and 
the circumstance had no relation to any other prophecy, and may 
not be understood as a key to any utterances by any other per- 
son. Moreover, 1260 years do not find a fitness to history that 
makes such a computation valuable. It is much better to under- 
stand that Jehovah has in mind a definite period, but that he 
wishes it to remain indefinite in the minds of the Jews. The half 
time implies greater definiteness in the mind of God than integ- 
ral times would have indicated. Likewise, in vv. 11, 12, the 
writer mentions 1290 days and 1335 days, which can best be un- 
derstood as definite for indefinite periods; for in fact the year- 
day theory yields no understanding at all, since no satisfactory 
application of the periods can thus be made to the course of 
history. 

The prophet is further advised concerning 
the future : 



The Closing 
Message. 



"Many shall purify themselves, and make them- 
selves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do 
wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; 
but they that are wise shall understand. And from the time that the 
continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that 
maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and 
ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand 
three hundred and thirty-five days. But go thou thy way till the end be; 
for thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot at the end of the days." 
Dan. 12:10-13. 

All this is projected into the indefinite future; for even if 
the numbers be regarded as certain periods, their application 
in liistory remains only a matter of conjecture. The most im- 
portant matter to the Jew was not a historical date, but a 
divine intimation that God is concerned with His people and 
will be so until they have come to that happy understanding of 



22* 



THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



all things for which they have longed in the dark days of their 
adversity They are encouraged to believe that the righteous 
shall attain a lofty excellence, and that the wicked shall suffer 
confusion and blindness for their iniquity. They are informed 
that a blessing is in store for those that patiently await the 
Lord's time. The prophet himself shall rest, but at the end of the 
time he shall not be forsaken, but stand in his appointed lot. 
Thus the main purpose of the prophecy, to encourage the people 
to hope in God and confidently to trust Him for the fulfilment 
of all His gracious purposes concerning them, is emphasized at 

its close. 

This chapter seems to contain several items of 
Messianic Items. ]\r ess ianic interest. (1) A distinction is made 
among individuals, and every one that shall be found written 
in the book will be delivered. This is a forecast of the New 
Testament idea of a distinction in the mind of God between 
those who are saved and those who are unsaved, and that the final, 
judgment will accord with the divine record respecting the 
character of individual men. (2) A personal resurrection is 
foretold, in which some rise to a deathless life, while some are 
raised up to everlasting shame and contempt. This appears to 
be a prevision of the general resurrection and separation of *men 
which the New Testament places at the end of the world 
(1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 20:11-15). In connection with this, also, 
the reward of those who turn many to righteousness is an- 
nounced, and its endless character is revealed. This comports 
with the unlimited reward in the following life that is promised 
bv the New Testament writers (John 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:50-54). 
3 \ complete desolation shall be made by a power that shall 
be regarded as an "abomination," whereby the power of the 
holy people shall be broken to pieces. Taking this in connec- 
tion with Dan. 9 :26, 27, it is apparent that the overthrow of the 
city of Jerusalem is contemplated. This may not most reason- 
ably be referred to the limited desolations made by various pre- 
christian kings of foreign people, such as Antiochus Epiphanes; 
for their work of destruction was a matter of small moment com- 
pared with the final overthrow of the city and extinction of the 
Jewish nation under Titns 70 A. D. The prophecy of Daniel 



THE ONE HEART AND NEW SPIRIT. 229 

was clearly for the benefit of the Jewish people, and the fall of 
their city which broke in pieces their power and forever scat- 
tered them was vastly more important to them than any mere 
temporary desolations during the period of their national con- 
tinuance. (4) Again a prediction is made that the regular 
burnt-offering shall be discontinued; and this doubtless signifies 
that the whole sacrificial service of the Jews is to be abolished 
(9:27). (5) Respecting all these coming events no time is set 
which can be definitely computed; but indication is given by 
the use of definite for indefinite periods, that in the mind of 
God time limits have been made, and that the events are the 
more certain to come to pass. So long as the date of the book 
of Daniel remains in dispute, its meaning in many passages 
will be called in serious question ; but it cannot be doubted that 
the book gives intimations of Christian teaching with remark- 
able accuracy and of inestimable value. 

5. The One Heart and New Spirit. Ezeh. xi. 14-21. 

The author of this prophecy, Ezekiel, was a 
The Author. vr { estj tlie son f Buzi, who had probably filled 
the priestly office at Jerusalem, but had been carried away as a 
•captive by Nebuchadnezzar at the same time with Jehoiachin 
(2 Kings 24:11-15) about 599 B. C. He was located on the 
banks of the river Chebar, one of the great canals of Babylonia.* 
He seems to have been twenty -five years old when taken captive ; 
and it was five years later when he was called to his ministry 
(1:1-3). One year after his call, about 593 B. C, he was taken 
in a vision to Jerusalem, and was shown the temple and city, 
was told that the city should fall in a short time, and that it 
was the doing of Jehovah that the city should be destroyed on 
account of the sins of the people (8:1, ft\). The destruction of 
the city occur rod about five years later. 

The present message relates to the exiles in . 
The essage. Babylonia, whom the people still residing in 
Jerusalem disregarded, boasting that Palestine belonged only to 

*The Chebar lins been recently identified by Hilprecht with the 
canal that ran through Nippur. Explorations in Bible Lands, p. 412. 



23(1 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

themselves, and that the exiles were cut off from Jehovah. Re- 
specting this matter Jehovah thus speaks to the prophet: 

-'Whereas T have removed them far off among the nations, and 
whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to 
them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they are 
come Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will gather you 
from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have 
been scattered and T will give you the land of Israel. And they shall 
come "thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof 
and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one 
heart and I will put a new spirit within you; and T will take the stony 
heart'ont of their flesh, and 1 will give them a heart of flesh; that they 
mav walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: 
and they shall be my people, and I will be their God But as for them 
whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their 
abominations, I will bring their way upon their own heads, saith the 
Lord Jehovah. 

There is a special significance in the promise 
The j( t hat God would "be to them a sanctuary for a 

"Sanctuary." ^^ while ^ ^ countr i es w here they are 

come;" for the Jews that still remained in Jerusalem had cast 
off these exiles as if they were wholly rejected by Jehovah. On 
the other hand, it was the purpose of God to foster faith in the 
hearts of the exiles, and a little later tor send the rest of the in- 
habitants of Jerusalem into a similar captivity. The word 
"sanctuary" is generally used for the temple at Jerusalem, 
from which the exiles were separated, and from which the Jews 
at Jerusalem supposed the exiles to be forever excluded: but the 
message means that Jehovah may be worshiped in the lands of 
captivity as if the people were in the holy city, hence to the 
captives Jehovah in person will be the sanctuary of their devo- 
tions. A house will not be needed for their service, but the 
Lord himself will receive their adoration.* 

Jehovah promises also to give to the exiles one 
The "One heart, a "heart of flesh," instead of the "stony 

Heart " heart"' on accounl of which they had been so 

*Skinn-r translates this text, "I have been but little of the sanct- 
uarv" and says that it "refers to the curtailment of religious privi- 
leges and means of access to Jehovah which was a necessary consequence 
of exile It implies, however, that Israel in banishment had learned in 
some measure to preserve that separation from other peoples and that 
peculiar relation to Jehovah which constituted its national holiness. 
Com. on Ezekiel 



THE ONE HEART AND NEW SPIRIT. 231 

cruel and disloyal as to deserve captivity; and He further 
promises to put "a new spirit" within them. The perversity of 
their heart had prompted them to refuse all the advices of Je- 
hovah's prophets and all the sacred counsels of their law and 
their fathers and to follow the course of wickedness which their 
own selfish ambitions had suggested. If such a heart be re- 
tained they could never renew their relations with Jehovah. It 
would be in vain to return to their land if they did not undergo 
such a change in spirit as to become disposed to obey God. Ac- 
cordingly the prophet encourages his people to look forward to 
a better life than they have hitherto led, and hence to expect 
from God a repossession of the land from which they are about 
to be driven out. They are to have no longer a stony heart which 
cannot be influenced by the divine appeals, but a heart of flesh, 
one that may be softened into sympathy, that is human and 
humane. He calls this "one heart," because a spirit of sympathy 
is a spirit of unity; but a spirit of cruelty and inhumanity pre- 
sages division and strife. 

It was true that the Jews who returned from 
ChSacter * Babylonia had a very different spirit from that 

of their fathers who were carried into exile ; for 
they adopted strict principles of loyalty and religious devotion 
that restrained them from the idolatrous influences of the nations 
that were about them, and bound them together in a closer fellow- 
ship than they had ever before enjoyed. But while this is true, 
their disposition toward each other and especially toward other 
nations was often unkind and unfriendly. When the Messiah ar- 
rived in their midst, he found many that deserved the severest 
rebukes for pride, hypocrisy and cruelty; and he could not intro- 
duce his kingdom until his forerunner, the Baptist, had insti- 
tuted a radical reform among the people. The whole nation was 
permeated with a spirit of prejudice that not only hin- 
dered the progress of bis message to the heathen, but that also 
protested bitterly against bis personal attempts to save the sinful 
among bis own people. Thus the new heart in the Jews before the 
work of the Messiah was a very imperfect one; but this was 
partly because they had no gospel that powerfully reacted upon 
the heart so as to produce a thorough reformation. It was the 



232 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

mission of the Messiah to announce a message among his own 
people and to all men that would awaken the deepest sympathies 
of the heart, call into exercise its noblest impulses, and make it 
conform a hie to the heart of God by whose love the sacrifice of 
Christ was made for men. In consideration of the fact that this 
transforming gospel was in the divine purpose in returning the 
exiles to their land and in securing a new order of society after 
the old had been overthrown, it can hardly be doubted that this 
deeper change of heart and this richer and better Messianic spirit 
is just the one. intended to be foretold by our prophet. This is 
Mso confirmed by the fact that this same Messianic influence and 
remarkable personal transformation secured a spirit of unity, not 
only among the Jews who were converted, but also between the 
Jews and Gentiles in spite of all their hitter hostilities. It must 
be admitted that aside from the gospel of Christ no influence 
was exerted on the Jews after their exile that was able to pro- 
duce such ideal results. 

6. Tin Majestic Cedar. Ezek. xvii. 22-24. 

It was probably during the same vision of 
The Allegory. g^el which we have already mentioned and in 
which he was carried to the city of Jerusalem, when Zedekiah 
had broken his oath with Nebuchadnezzar and had formed an 
alliance with Egypt, about 593 B. C, that the prophet delivered 
a notable message in allegorical form concerning the king and 
the divine purpose, lie says: 

"Thu* saith the Lord Jehovah: T will also take off the lofty top 
of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its 
voung twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high and lofty 
mountain: in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; 
and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar; 
an d under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of the 
branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shal 
know that 1 Jehovah, have brought down the high tree, have exalted 
the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry 
tree to flourish: I, Jehovah, have spoken and have done it." 

This was spoken as a prediction that Zedekiah 
Interpretation. wfm j ( i soon be carried away to Babylon (vv. 
11-20). The emphasis is laid on the pronoun "I" in contrast 
with Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar will take off the topmost 



THE RESERVED MITRE AND CROWN. 233 

branch of the nation of Judah, Zedekiah, and he shall perish; 
but I, Jehovah, will plant a lofty one, and he shall grow to great- 
ness. This signifies that Zedekiah must fall, but that another 
son of David should rise in his stead ;* and though he should be a 
"a tender one," yet should he grace the mountain top, and thus 
be exalted above all others. This received fulfilment so far as 
Zedekiah was concerned ; for he was taken to Babylon, and never 
returned. The return of Judah to Palestine, however, did not 
bring an immediate fulfilment of the rest of this prediction ; and, 
indeed, no "lofty one" was set in an eminent place that secured 
such universal influence as to attract all the world toward himself 
until the Messiah himself was seated on David's throne. More- 
over, it is only in the Messiah that all men have come to know, 
as this text implies, that the downfall of the wicked kings of 
Judah and exaltation of a more worthy one was the work of 
Jehovah. It is, indeed, through the world-wide proclamation of 
Christian truth that the nations have come to a knowledge of 
the dealings of Jehovah with men, and especially of His exalted 
principle of bringing pride into contempt and of lifting humility 
into honor. It was the vanity of Zedekiah that led him to violate 
his vows with the king of Babylon which he had made in the 
name of Jehovah, and to form an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra 
(Jer. 44:30; 37:5, ff.), and thus to prove faithless both to God 
and to man. It was the humility of Jesus that prompted him to 
lay down his life for men, and thus fulfil the high purposes of 
Jehovah and to achieve the greatest blessings to humanity. If 
this prophecy had been written a thousand years after the Mes- 
siah's coming, it could not better contrast Zedekiah and his most 
illustrious successor. 

7. The Reserved Mitre and Crown. Ezek. rxi. 24-27. 

In the seventh year of the captivity of Ezekiel, 

and Prophecy about 592 B. C. (Ezek. 20:1), the elders of 

Israel came to the prophet to ask for an oracle 

*Brig^s (Mes. Proph. p. 270) holds that "the sprig represents the 
faithful and restored remnant of Israel." This does not meet the con- 
trast with Zedekiah which the context plainly implies; and it is in- 
consistent with the words "tender one," which would be appropriate 
only to a person. 



234 THE MESSJANJC MESSAGE. 

from Jehovah: and Ezekiel recounted to them the grievous 
sins of the Hebrew people, and predicted the final overthrow 
of the city of Jerusalem. To make the prophecy more vivid, he 
delivers an apostrophe to Zedekiah, who is soon to be taken into 
captivity. The following quotation includes this apostrophe: 

"Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have made 
your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are un- 
covered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because that 
ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. And 
thou, O deadly wounded wicked one. the prince of Israel, whose day is 
come, in the "time of the iniquity of the end, thus saith the Lord Je- 
hovah: Eemove the mitre, and take off the crown; this shall be no more 
the same;exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high. f. 
will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until 
he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.'' 

The iniquity of Jerusalem consisted in a rad- 

The Sin j ca j c i e p ar t U re from Jehovah into idolatry with 

and Penalty. r , n . , , , , . , 

a consequent lapse into every conceivable kind 

of crime and folly, and finally in the crowning act of treason 
against the king of Babylon by a treaty with Egypt. The pro- 
phet points to such baseness as uncovered and conspicuous, and 
accordingly it deserves nothing less than capture and exile. By 
a vivid anticipation of the speedy fall of Zedekiah he is ad- 
dressed in the most impressive form, "0 deadly wounded wicked 
one. thou prinee of Israel, whose day is come." With the fall of 
Jerusalem, both the priests and the king will be taken from their 
places; and hence the dramatic words, "Remove the mitre, and 
take off the crown; this shall be no more the same." The mitre 
as a symbol of priesthood and the crown as a symbol of roy- 
alty were both removed when the king of Babylon overthrew 
Jerusalem in 588 B. C. Thus the glory of priest and king that 
had lasted for half a millennium was extinguished in the flood 
of destruction that for the time swept away the people of Judah 
from the land which Jehovah had given them for an everlasting 
po /session. 

Although the priesthood was restored on their 
The^ Change return, and a new temple was constructed, yet 

the ark which represented the presence and 



Complete. 
accessibility of Jehovah was gone and could never be replaced. 



THE RESERVED MITRE AND CROWN. 235 

As for the king, he was removed ; and so long as a foreign mon- 
arch held supremacy in Palestine a descendant of David could 
not again secure a natural throne in Judah.* The unworthiness 
of the nation did not justify such an interposition of the divine 
hand in behalf of the people as would be required to restore 
them to a state of national independence and prosperity suited 
to a reorganization of the monarchy. However, it may have been 
providential that there was no Davidic king to dispute the royal 
claims of the Messiah when he appeared to establish his spirit- 
ual and eternal dominion. It is in foresight of Judah 's failure 
to secure a restored royalty and priesthood in glory equal with 
that of past generations, that the prophet distinctly says, "This 
shall be no more the same." 

After uttering a prediction so revolutionary 
o?Rieht SOn as ^ s > and one so fraught with disaster and de- 

spair, some indication of divine help for the 
future is required to keep alive a national hope in the hearts of 
a down-trodden and disconsolate people. A gleam of promise 
shines through a single clause of the prophetic message, "Until 
he come whose right it is, and I will give it him." This implies 
that at some distant time one shall appear who shall have a right 
to the combined honor of mitre and crown by virtue of a char- 
acter necessarily opposite to that by which it has been lost. Such 
a person did not appear before the coming of Christ. It is vain 
to point to Zerubbabel as prince or Jeshua as priest, who, as "Dr. 
Briggs has well said, "had but shadows of the priesthood of 
Phinehas and the royalty of David. The priesthood lacked the 
Urim and Thummim as the princedom lacked real authority" 
(Mes. Proph. p. 271). It is equally vain to designate any other 
person before the advent of the Messiah as a fulfilment of this 
prophecy; for in no proper sense was anyone entitled to this 
peculiar honor except him to whom it was given by divine be- 

*Jt is notable that the removal of the crown from David's house 
did not mislead any prophet into the supposition that the throne was 
lost forever. Oehler has well said, "The continued right of the race of 
David to the throne is never called in question by prophecy, though it 
often passes sentence of 1 ejection upon individual kin^s of Judah." 
O. T. Theol. p- 525. 



236 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

stowal by virtue of a Davidic and divine sonship and an order 
of priesthood that transcended that of Aaron and Phinehas. The 
right of royalty and of priesthood fitly fell upon him by whose 
incarnation the divine made a personal abode with men, and who 
thus joined in one person the two natures which were to be re- 
conciled. It is inconceivable why any other should be regarded 
so long as the Messianic fulfilment of this prediction seems 
possible. 

8. The Davidic Shepherd. Ezek. xxxiv. 11-31. 

It was in the twelfth year of Ezekiel's captiv- 

Prophetic j^ 537 B q ? t j iat a fugitive from Jerusalem 

setting. brought word to the prophet that the city had 

fallen the previous year (Ezek. 33:21). After a prediction that 
the few Jews who still inhabit Palestine shall perish on account 
of their abominations, and after a stinging rebuke to the shep- 
herds of Israel who should have watched over the people as a 
flock, but who devoted themselves to greed and gluttony, Jehovah 
announces that He Himself will seek out the sheep of His flock 
that have been scattered in many lands, and will bring them 
again into their own land, and feed them upon the mountains 
and by the waterbrooks of their own country. Thus He will 
deliver the sheep from the mouths of those shepherds who, in- 

st -ad of feeding the flock, feed only themselves. While the shep- 
herds must be rejected and perish, the sheep shall not be aban- 
doned. Nevertheless Jehovah will judge among His sheep, and 
make a separation according to character, and at last receive but 

a portion of the flock (34:1-22). 

Respecting the shepherd of Jehovah's flock, 

sh G heTd t]u ' fullmvin - prophecy is given : 

"And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he 
shall feed them even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall 
he their shepherd. And I. Jehovah, will be their God, and my servant 
David prince among them; I, Jehovah, have spoken it." 

In tlir expression "one shepherd" the unity of Israel is clearly 
implied. The shepherd cannot be David himself, who had been 
dead over 400 years, but it must be his descendant and represen- 
tative, the Messiah. This agrees with the unity of Israel and one- 
ness of tin- shepherd, since in the perpetual reign of Christ there 



THE DAVIDIC SHEPHERD. 237 

can be no rivalry or succession of shepherds.* This singleness of 
Israel's future ruler is in accord with all the prophecies concern- 
ing the Messiah from the blessing of Jacob over Judah down to 
this date ; for nowhere is the ultimate dominion of Jehovah 's 
people to be committed to a succession of princes. This is pre- 
cisely the contrary of what might naturally have been expected. 
Human foresight could have discerned only such a rulership as 
became the successive generations of human monarchs. A trace 
of the divine may be distinctly seen in the oneness of the Mes- 
sianic king. 

Jehovah promises "a covenant of peace" ac- 
o?Peace enant cording to which he will cause evil beasts to 
cease from the land, the showers to fall in their 
season, the earth to yield its increase, and Israel to know that He 
is Jehovah. Then shall they dwell securely, and none shall make 
them afraid. Jehovah will raise up unto them *'a plantation for 
renown, and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the 
land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more." Such a 
covenant was precisely what the people of Israel might most de- 
sire as exiles in a foreign land. Their highest longing and their 
fondest hopes pointed toward a repossession of their own coun- 
try, a return of material prosperity and a protection from the 
wild beasts of the field and from the more dangerous nations of 
men. 

For the term "plantation" the margin of the 
"Plantation." American Revised Version has "plant," which 
is probably better. Plantation would mean a 
garden with fruits for food, like that of Eden ; and the passage 
would suggest simply that Jehovah would cause their country to 
blossom and bear fruit as a paradise in which little toil would be 
required for subsistence. On the other hand, the word "plant" 
suggests the "branch," as in Isaiah 11 :1, or possibly the one who 
shall supply spiritual food for Israel as over against a "famine 
in the land," which stands in contrast in the text. In any case 

*Thus also Orelli (Mes. Pr. p. 367), "The one shepherd, whom the 
Lord calls with delight His righteous Servant, is he in whom David's 
virtue will be perfected to the salvation of His Church. This perfection 
of the Messianic idea stands before the seer's gaze in personal unity, 
and the ideal must be left thus, otherwise it loses in grandeur." 



238 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

the object of the passage is to assure Israel that Jehovah is their 
God, and that they are His people (vv. 30, 31). The end of the 
prediction is Messianic, since an ideal state of the nation under 
divine help and protection is contemplated, and hence a state 
which only an ideal age could produce. It does not follow that 
the Messianic time must immediately usher in such a condition 
of Israel ; but rather that the Messianic age alone will be able to 
produce such blessings. Ideal conditions are the potentialities 
of the Messianic times; and should humanity rise to its possibil- 
ities under the Messiah, these things would come to pass. They 
could be possible only in such a period. 

9. Israel's Purification. Ezck. xxxvi. 23-28. 

Some time after the fall of Jerusalem (36:3), 

The Prophecy ^\q exact vear being unknown to us, but at a 
in Connection. . *l ° ' 

time when Israel was desolate and her people the 

objects of contempt and evil report, this prophecy was uttered to 

bring them a lesson concerning God's gracious purposes toward 

them. The following verses contain the important elements of 

the prediction : 

"And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been profaned 
among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and 
the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, 
when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will 
take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all 
the countries, and will bring you into your own land. And I will 
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all 
your filthiness, and from ail your idols, will I cleanse you. A 
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; 
and 1 will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will 
give you a heart of flesh. And T will put my Spirit within you, and 
cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, 
and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; 
and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." 

The perversity of Israel on account of which 

Kind of they were scattered abroad in various parts of the 

Cleansing. * . . . f 

Babylonian empire, made their cleansing a neces- 
sity. They could not be returned to the land of their fathers so 
long as they Avere polluted by the idolatries and iniquities of 
their former career. The prophet represents them as a person 
ceremonially unclean (v. 17), who was denied the privileges of 



Israel's purification. 239 

the congregation of Israel (Num. 19:20). Before these exiles 
can return to their land and be received by Jehovah they must be 
purified just as the person unclean. "Clean water" here prob- 
ably does not mean unmixed water, since such water was not 
required by the law to be sprinkled for any purpose; but more 
likely it means water of cleansing. The preparation of the 
water for ceremonial cleansing is described in Num. 19 :2-9. The 
ashes of a red heifer that had been burned were kept to be mixed 
with water; and only the water thus adulterated could be used 
in the process of cleansing. The sprinkling of this water is the 
basis of the figure of speech here used. The full meaning is, I 
will make you clean as one sprinkled with the water of cleansing.. 

The manner of the cleansing is not indicated 
Cleans^ ° * n * n * s passage, since the words used signify only 

that a cleansing will take place. The returning 
exiles were cleansed from the idolatry and other pollutions of 
their former lives by the experiences of their captivity. 
Possibly this cleansing may be meant. After' the return to Pal- 
estine the Jews revived the ceremonial cleansing of the law ; but 
this cannot be meant by the prophet in this place. The dignity of 
the utterance and the mention of a new heart and a new spirit re- 
quire us to understand a moral cleansing. This was secured by 
inducing Israel to forsake her sins and put herself in. position to 
obtain forgiveness of God. Such a cleansing was necessary to a 
future association and co-operation with Jehovah. 

The "new heart," as in Ezek. 11:19, implies a 
The New vital reformation in Israel with respect to those 

SpMt 1 * and evils int0 which the nation & 11 before the Exile. 

The "new spirit" also indicates the changed 
disposition of the people toward Jehovah's statutes; for the stub- 
born will of the people made it impossible for God to work with 
them to accomplish His purposes. A more obedient spirit in them 
would enable Him to develop their character, train their minds 
to His thoughts, and to make them ready to receive the Mes- 
sianic disclosures. The promise, "I will put my Spirit within 
you," does not necessarily refer to the supernatural gifts be- 
stowed upon the early church; but rather to those leadings of the 
divine Spirit through the prophets and apostles, by which the 



240 THE MESSIANIC -MESSAGE. 

people were influenced by higher motives and more exalted prin- 
ciples than those which had governed the conduct of the nation 

in the past. 

This prophecy is Messianic, not in the sense 
How Messianic. that thege prom i se s were to he realized only after 
the coming of Christ, but rather (1) in the fact that the Jewish 
people were to be gradually prepared during their experiences 
between the time of this utterance and the opening of the Mes- 
sianic age; l 2 I the preparatory cleansing is but an earnest of the 
more perfect cleansing to be enjoyed under the Messiah; (3) the 
'•new heart" will he simply an advanced provision for the more 
perfect disposition which will he induced under the influence of 
the gospel ; while (4) the work of the "Spirit" of God among the 
returning exiles and their descendants will he hut a foreshadow- 
in- of the Christian's seal of the divine promise (Eph. 1:13).* 
10. The Resurrection of Dry Bones. EzeTc. xxxvii. 1-14. 

The prophet describes a vision of a valley full 
The Message. rf ^ boneg ^ were V( , ry dry . and the 

question was asked, "Can these bones live?" The prophet was 
told to announce that breath should enter into the hones, that 
sinews should he laid upon them, that flesh and skm should 
cover them, that spirit should be put into them, and that they 
should live. After he had uttered the prediction an earthquake 
occurred the bones were joined together, bodies were perfected. 
and they stood up alive as a great army. The significance of the 
vision is thus presented: 

"Then he said unto me, Sou of Man, these bones are the whole 
house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our 
loo is lost- we are clean cut off. Therefore prophesy, and say among 
S, Thus sSh the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, 

*To this list some writers add another point. Thus BriggS (Mes Pr 
n 275V ■• \. there has been a new ereation after the manner of the 

renovation of the earth, and it 1 .mes like the garden of Eden and 

Paradise is restored " This is based on verse 35, And thej snail say, 

SS&il3£i desolate is 1 ™^^f^«J£^& 

was., and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and »*»**•£; , 

description of the land exactly suits Palestine m Ezekiel s day, and 
Reverse may hardly w pressed to mean more than a rest^aUon of 
HI cities and fertility of that country simply put in bold -terms. 



THE RESURRECTION OF DRY BONES. 241 

and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I 
will bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am 
Jehovah, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up 
out of your graves, my people. And I will put my Spirit in you,, 
and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall 
know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah." 

The meaning of the message seems to be, that 
^ ea H ng of Israel in exile is as dry bones scattered through 

a valley, without life and without hope; but 
Jehovah is able to revive the dead nation, restore its national 
standing and give it a new prospect. The announcement in- 
cludes a return of the exiles to Palestine and a renewal of their 
confidence in Jehovah. The figure of death and graves is not 
too strong for the necessities of the case. The exiles had lost all 
national independence and all opportunity of making any united 
stand against their enemies ; and hence their outlook was starless 
and void. There was as much prospect of the dead coming up 
from their graves alive as of the Israelites securing a new na- 
tional career. But such hopelessness, if permitted to continue, 
would render Israel unsuited to accomplish the divine ends, 
since it would stand as an insuperable obstacle to the return to 
Palestine and the restoration to their national functions. 

Incorrect interpretations of this vision have 

?«*™2«* -™o been numerous. (1) Some have held that the 
Interpretations. . •,•,■• -, ^ .,,. 

individual Israelites who had perished m the 

exile were symbolized by the dry bones, and that their resurrec- 
tion is here promised. On the contrary, the. text distinctly says: 
"These bones are the whole house of Israel" (v. 11), which indi- 
cates that it is the nation which is to be restored to a life, though 
once lost by transgression against Jehovah. (2) Others have 
thought that this is simply and only a picture of the conversion 
of a human soul from sin. The error of this view is indicated 
by the promise in the text, "I will bring you into the land of 
Israel." The purpose of the prophecy is clear from the whole 
context, in which the message is addressed to the exiles who 
realized that their own national life and hope were gone, and 
even that their national spirit was extinct. A promise of a res- 
toration to their own land, if assured to them, would revive their 
national expectation as one is revived who is restored from 



242 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

death. The statement by Jehovah, "And I will put my Spirit 
(breath, as in v. 10) in you, and ye shall live," does not indicate 
a personal regeneration by the Holy Spirit, but a renewal of 
national life comparable to the breath of life imparted to man at 
the creation. (3) It is also incorrect to understand this vision 
to be a direct prediction of the final resurrection of the dead. 
While it certainly implies that God is able to restore the dead 
to life, the explanation of the vision as given to the prophet re- 
lates to a matter very different from the doctrine of a universal 
resurrection of the dead. The prophecy is confined to Israel, 
and adapted to her exilic condition as deprived of national life. 
Messianic. This prophecy is Messianic chiefly in the clear 

expression of Jehovah's special interposition in behalf of Israel 
with the intent to employ the nation as an exponent of faith in 
Himself among the nations. Hence the oft-repeated words 
throughout the passage, "And ye shall know that I am Jeho- 
vah." This national resurrection would be necessary to bring 
about the Messianic events of all following generations if these 
were to be wrought out through the Israelitish nation. More- 
over, the meaning of the vision is not exhausted in a promise to 
restore the people to the land of their fathers ; but the fact that 
they must know Jehovah implies that a restoration of loyalty to 
the God of their fathers is primarily intended. The resurrec- 
tion, therefore, promises a new character on the part of Israel, 
which is far more important than their repossession of the Pal- 
estinian territory. This new character will be an essential factor 
in their Messianic service ; for without it they will be unable to 
bear the Christian faith to the nations of the world. It does not 
necessarily imply that a high degree of perfection will be at- 
tained, nor even that all Israel will take part in the required re- 
formation; and certainly the prophecy should not be forced to 
cover the revival of godliness which accompanied the acceptance 
of Christianity. 

It is not impossible that the resurrection of 
Possibly t he nation from its exilic grave may typify the 

ypica ' resurrection of the race ; but the prophecy itself 

does not lend a hint on that question. Typologies when not in- 
dicated in Scripture are often matters of conjecture, rather than 



THE UNITY OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. 243 

scientific interpretation. Nevertheless, this message to Israel 
must have helped to build up a belief in the resurrection of the 
upright in heart; for if God would revive a once sinful nation, 
now as dry and hopeless as bleached bones in the valley, would 
He not remember His faithful ones in the captivity of death? 
The vision was certainly a suggestion that a resurrection was 
not foreign to the divine mind. Yet it can hardly be regarded 
as a clear announcement of immortality.* 

11. The Unity of Judah and Israel. Ezek. xxxvii. 15-28. 

The prophet is commanded by Jehovah to pre- 
e rop ecy. p are ^ WQ st j c ]^ an( j to wr ^ e on ne, "For 

Judah and his companions, ' ' and on the other, ' ' For Joseph and 
his companions;" and to join the two together, the significance 
of which is thus set forth : 

"Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold I will take the stick of 
Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his 
companions; and I will put them with it, even with the stick of Judah, 
and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand. And the 
sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes. 
And say unto them thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will take 
the children of Israel from among the nations, whither they are gone, 
and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own 
land: and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains 
of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be 
no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms 
any more at all; neither shall they defile themselves any more with 
their idols, nor with their detestable things, dor with any of their 
transgressions; but I will save them out of their dwelling-places, wherein 
they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, 
and I will be their God. And my servant David shall be king over them; 
and they shall all have one shepherd: they shall also walk in mine 
ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall 

*The ease with which interpreters import into these prophecies ideas 
which they do not contain, but which are borrowed from the New 
Testament, is illustrated in the following sentences from G. Curry, 
Bible Com.: "This prophecy concerns not only the Israel after the flesh, 
but the Israel of God, points to a home in heaven, and to a life of im- 
mortality The restoration of the people to the land of Israel 

had reference to a primary fulfilment in the return from Babylon, but 
the chief purport of the vision was the promise of restoration from a 
death in trespasses and sins to a new life of holiness, fulfilled in the 
Gospel dispensation (John v. 25), but having its consummation in the 
general resurrection at the last day," 



-, 44 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

r,n?tu-m in the mklst of them foi ever more. My tabernacle also shall 
T J- h then ^nd I will be their God, and they shall be my people 
tS Sons shall know that I am Jehovah that sanctxfieth Israel, 
wSL my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever more. 

The leading import of this utterance is read- 
Import. ily discerned? The two sticks represent Judah 
and Northern Israel, each with the members of other tribes that 
may be associated with them. It is well known that m the > days 
of Rehoboam. Asa and Hezekiah (2 Chr. 11:12-16- 15:9; 30 :11- 
18) many families of nearly all the ten tribes united with the 
kingdom of Judah; so that doubtless many hundreds or thous- 
ands among the Jews could trace their lineage to other tribes. 
All these are included with Judah, and in later times together 
with others from the ten tribes that may have af ^M 
them in fulfilment of this prophecy were called Jews Probably 
the two sticks were to be joined end to end in the hands of the 
prophet, so that they would seem one stick to the people if i ^ 
deed the two were not united in one by a miracle before than 
eyet Thus the perfect union of the two divisions of Israel was 
impressively prefigured. 

The prophecy is adapted to the condition of 
Intent. ^ exiles ^ th the intent to inspire in them a 

dearer hope of a restored national unity and greatness. Un- 
doubtedly the people of Judah and those of Israel, so fai as 
their situation m the exile would permit them to communicate 
with each other, were often united in sympathy on account of 
their similar sufferings and kindred ties. This afforded an op- 
portunity to impress upon them the possibility of a more com- 
plete union, and at the same time to renew to them the ^£ 
of Jehovah that they should return to their land and again be- 
come an independent kingdom. The occasion was thus favoraMe 
for the full picture that is here presented in a very »ttau*ff 
form concerning the prosperity and blessing that Jehovah will 
ere long bestow upon them. 



THE FALL OF THE ENEMY. 245 

The items of Messianic interest are not alto- 
ltems ianiC gether new. The return to the land of their 

fathers; the one king, David, corresponding to 
the unity of the kingdom ; the cleansing of the people from their 
idolatry and other sins; the one shepherd; and the covenant of 
peace, have all been already predicted by this prophet, and most 
of these events have been foretold previously by others. The 
chief Messianic value of this passage consists in the completeness 
of the forecast and the clear, emphatic form in which the Mes- 
sianic relations between the people and Jehovah and the per- 
petuity of these relations are presented. The sanctuary prom- 
ised in the closing words of this prediction is not in this case 
Jehovah Himself, as in 11 :15, 16, but more likely the temple, per- 
haps the literal building in Jerusalem at first, only to give place 
to its antitype, the spiritual building of the Messianic age, either 
of which has become God's dwelling-place among men. 

12. The Fall of the Enemy. Ezeh. xxxviii, xxxix. 

The date of this prophecy concerning the na- 
tions and the judgment to which they will be 
brought is very uncertain. It seems to have little connection 
with the preceding context, which we studied in the previous 
section. Nevertheless, the prophet gives us no hint of time in 
the transition; and even if taken with the foregoing chapter, 
the date would still be unknown. 

These two chapters contain a prophecy of the 
overthrow of certain nations represented as 
allied together for an invasion into the land of Israel. The exiles 
after their return to their land are to become so wealthy that 
their possessions will be a prize much sought by the most distant 
peoples, who will come with a great host of warriors to overflow 
the country of Palestine and gather up its wealth as spoils to 
be carried away. The leader of these foreign nations is to be 
Gog,* who is further described as the chief prince of Meshech 

*Gog is believed to be the same as Gugu on the Assyrian monuments, 
the Gyges of Greek literature, an early king of Lydia in Asia Minor. 
Magog (Gen. 10:2) was probably a land and people in the region of the 
Caucasus, generally supposed to be the Scythians. Eosh was not likely 



246 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

and Tubal. Allied with these are Goraer and the people of' To- 
garmah, all in the distant north; and from the south and east, 
Persia, Cush and Put. These are evidently selected nations, 
very far removed from the Israelites, and such as may be 
presumed hostile to Jehovah, and representative of the heathen 
world. 

The oncoming of the invaders will be like a 
]ec storm, and they will cover the land like a cloud. 

Their object is to attack a land that is unwalled, quiet and de- 
fenceless, and where much wealth will reward the captors; but 
Jehovah's object is to manifest His supremacy by the utter rout 
and downfall of these nations, and that without human help. 
They will become affrighted, turn every man against his fellow, 
and they that flee will be overtaken by pestilence, hailstones, 
fire and brimstone. Thus Jehovah will make Himself known 
among the nations; for the victory shall be so great that the 
weapons of the fallen will serve Israel for fuel seven years, and 
it will require seven months to bury the dead bodies. But lest 
the land be defiled with the dead, buriers will be appointed to go 
through the land and search f(?r every bone of the invaders tiL! 
not one remains, and all the bodies shall be buried in a valley 
beyond the Jordan outside of the sacred territory. 

The prophecy implies that both Israel and the 
p're^e nations charged the captivity of the Hebrews 

to the weakness of Jehovah in comparison with 
other gods; and the leading purpose of the prediction is to sig- 
nify that Jehovah will certainly vindicate His own reputation 
among men. He will show that He alone can smite down the 
greatest aggregation of warriors on earth, and that in Palestine 
where Israel was captured. He wishes Israel and the nations 
near to her to understand that the taunts against Jehovah when 
Jerusalem fell under the Babylonians and all the unbelief in the 

the land Rash on the borders of Elam (Delitzsch), since that is too re- 
mote from Lydia; but as the word means "head," it should probably be 
regarded as a common noun, "chief," as in R. V. Margin. Meshech is 
undoubtedly the Moschi east of the Black Sea; and Tubal is identified 
with the Tibareni in the same region. Sayce sugge'sts that when these 
northern tribes made an invasion into Asia Minor, they may have 
entered Syria also. 



Israel's ideal future. 247 

hearts of the exiles which now stands in the way of Israel's 
glorious restoration, are groundless and will meet rebuke. When 
that shall be done, all shall know that the Captivity was designed 
by Jehovah as a punishment for Israel 's sin ; and thus the right- 
eousness of God will be demonstrated. All of these lessons are 
necessary to the great Messianic work of Israel, and especially to 
give all nations warning that they will no more escape the judg- 
ment of God than the Hebrews that were hurled into exile. All 
men everywhere must repent (cf. Acts 17:30). 

13. Israel's Ideal Future. Ezek. xl-xlviii. 

These nine chapters form a concluding section 
Contents. of ^ boQk of Ezekidj and depict in highly 

wrought imagery and with much exaggeration the future of the 
restored people, land, temple and worship. The prophecy is 
presented in the form of a vision which the prophet saw in the 
twenty-fifth year of his captivity, or about 574 B. C. He seems 
to be transported by the hand of Jehovah to the land of Pales- 
tine, to be placed on the sacred mountain, where he is shown the 
temple, is told its measurements with great minuteness, sees the 
glory of Jehovah filling the house, learns the regulations concern- 
ing the priests and the prince with all matters pertaining to offer- 
ings and gifts, beholds a river flowing from the temple eastward 
with increasing depth till it reaches the sea of Arabah, and is in- 
formed concerning the division of the land among the twelve 
tribes and the gates of the city named respectively for the tribes. 
It is notable that the secular interests of the 
urpose. future nation are not pictured in these scenes. 

The aim is not to foretell what Israel actually will be, nor how 
great as a nation she might become ; but the aim is to portray the 
religious ideal of the people, especially in such a way as to make 
the religion of Jehovah attractive to the Hebrews. Not the 
possible wealth, not the political importance,* nor the military 
greatness of the nation is described, since none of these were 
primarily significant with the prophet; for it is his purpose (1) 
to encourage the exiles to the service of Jehovah without which 
the nation has no prospect whatever, (2) to teach them that sin 
is their ruin and righteousness their only hope, (3) to elevato 



248 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

their ideas of worship in accord with a more elevated conception 
of God, and (4) to point Israel to her high destiny in the Mes- 
sianic purpose of Jehovah. 

While the prophet is not describing what will 
v, * an literally occur, much less what did occur under 

Zerubbabel when the people returned to Pales- 
tine, he likewise does not present an extended allegory to exhibit 
a state of spiritual perfection in the Christian age. The inter- 
preter has some temptation to regard the perfections of the 
temple as Bymbolizing the ideal church, the presence of Jehovah 
as the indwelling Spirit, the duties and privileges of priests and 
Levites as the work and worship of Christian believers, and the 
distribution of the land as the reward of the saints in light; 
but there is not the slightest hint that such is his meaning, or even 
that the prophet in this vision foresaw the things that belong to 
the Messianic time. On the other hand, the very details suggest 
that he depicts what was real to him and what might be realized 

by the people. 

It may be observed that the prophet does not 
^ Id ( f al consider that he is mingling the natural with 

supernatural elements in a manner that mocks 
ordinary credulity. lie represents the temple situated on a 
"very high mountain," whereas Moriah is not such; he describes 
a river flowing from the temple to the Dead Sea, giving life in 
the waters of that sea in which no fishes can survive; and he has 
on either bank of the river evergreen trees bearing all kinds of 
fruit monthly ; and yet men still live in the flesh, still spread nets 
for fishes, still divide inheritanees.and are still to permit strangers 
and their children to sojourn in their midst. The prophet does 
not consider all this incongruous, as it now seems to most of his 
readers. In fact, he tacitly counts on the power of Jehovah as 
sufficient and available for any blessing to His people. He is 
sketching an ideal, prophetic and poetic, and it does not matter 
whether it be natural, supernatural, or a combination of the 
two. lie is not writing history in advance, as some imagine, 
either literally or allegOrically ; but he is drawing an imaginary 
and ideal picture of what Jehovah can provide for Israel and 
what Israel can do for Jehovah. He is impressing the mind of 



Israel's ideal future. 249 

the exiles with the greatness and sanctity of their God whom they 
have neglected, and with the magnificence of the service which 
is due to Him. All Israel, in large numbers from every tribe, 
should rejoice to divide the land among them again, should make 
the most careful provision to maintain the sacredness of Jeho- 
vah's house and worship, so that the Holy Presence may forever 
abide in their midst. 

Messianic Such a prophetic effort is highly Messianic,, 

not that it delineates events of the later period, 
not that it mentions the Messiah, nor even that it offers a single 
symbol designed to prefigure any Christian person or institu- 
tion, but much more that it seeks, like John the Baptist, to make 
ready a people prepared for the Lord, by teaching them the holi- 
ness of God, the necessity of righteousness, the value of His pres- 
ence Avith men and the rich rewards of service duly rendered to 
Him. It does not require either history or literal prediction to 
convey such lessons ; for it may be done as well by story, or par- 
able, or poem, or imaginative prophecy. The all-important mes- 
sage, not of Ezekiel only, but of the whole Bible, and that which 
must be made to resound among all the habitations of men, is 
•exactly that which is summed up in this prophet's closing words 
and set as the name of the sacred city, "Jehovah is There." 



CHAPTER VIII. 



UNDATED PROPHECIES. 



Historical 
Environment. 



The dates of composition of some important 
prophecies in Isaiah, Obadiah, Joel and cer- 
tain Psalms of similar thought cannot now be 
certainly ascertained even by the most acute 
critical inquiry. While this may be regarded as a misfortune in 
a historical interpretation, yet the disappointment is partly 
averted by the fact that in most cases at least the conditions for 
which the prophecy was uttered are in some measure apparent 
from the text itself. Some difficulties might be removed by a 
knowledge of the exact time of an oracle which could not be dis- 
solved by any other information; but usually the chief import 
of a message may be discerned if only the leading circumstances 
of the prophet or his people can be determined. In many pas- 
sages the Messianic value might have been wholly preserved; 
nevertheless, in most of the prophecies that will be treated in this 
section the general conditions of the author's time are suffi- 
ciently known to make apparent the more valuable Messianic 
bearings. 

The greater part of the prophecy to be consid- 

T .? e /i E i* ment ert ?d i n this connection is found in those por- 
of Criticism. , . . *\ 

tions of the book of Isaiah concerning which 

the battle of modern criticism has been most warmly waged, and 
in which unanimity of opinion has not yet been reached. It is 
not the purpose of this work to canvass the ground of this con- 
test, but rather to assume that which is most generally conceded, 
and interpret accordingly; but where this cannot be done, and 
two or more interpretations are possible, it seems best to state 
each side carefully and fairly. It may be noted that fortunately 
both conservative and progressive critics agree that whether this 



THE DOOM OF BABYLON. 251 

material was composed before or after the beginning of the 
Babylonian Exile, it was written with reference to exilic condi- 
tions. This simplifies matters very much, and affords almost a 
common ground on which to study the Messianic character of 
these important utterances. 

Since in these passages the time element is no 
of ^ateriaT longer in the foreground, a subdivision of the 
material may be made on the basis of the gen- 
eral character of the prophecies. "We discover that with a re- 
markable degree of distinctness the passages are divisible into 
those which describe the doom of nations or peoples, those which 
give the experiences of a sufferer, those which present the Servant 
of Jehovah, those which make a call to reformation, and those 
which announce the restoration of Israel to their former home 
in Canaan. By following this arrangement the relation of simi- 
lar passages will the more readily appear, and the manner in 
which one utterance supplements another will be more trans- 
parent. 

Section i. Prophecies of Doom. 

1. The Doom of Babylon. Isa. xiii. 2 — xiv. 23. 

This prophecy is composed of two poems, one 
T is a prediction of the fall of the city of Babylon, 



13 :2-14 :2, and the other is a song of triumph 
over the king of Babylon, 14:4-23. The latter is introduced by 
a brief statement in prose, 14 :3, 4. The first poem opens with a 
dramatic mustering of the army that is to overthrow the city, 
represented as the host of Jehovah's warriors assembling in the 
mountains of Media (13:2-5); then is announced the day of 
Jehovah when He will take vengeance on Babylon, and the scene 
of the fall is sketched (6-16) ; next follows a clear statement of 
the people to whom the poem alludes, the Medes are the attack- 
ing party, and Babylon is the object of the divine wrath, a city 
doomed to perpetual desolation (17-22) ; lastly the reason for 
the overthrow is that Jehovah will have mercy on Israel that has 
suffered under Babylonian oppression (14:1, 2). The poem may 
be thus translated and arranged : 



2r>2 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Upon a bare mountain set ye up an ensign, 
Lift up a voice to them, wave a hand, 
That they may go into the gates of the nobles. 
I have commanded my consecrated ones, 
Yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, 
Even my proudly exulting ones. 

Hark! a tumult upon the mountains as of a great people! 
Hark! an uproar of kingdoms of nations gathered together! 
Jehovah of hosts is mustering the host for the battle. 
They come from a far country, from the end of the heavens, 
Even Jehovah and the weapons of his indignation, 
To lay waste all the land. 

Howl, for near is the day of Jehovah; 
As destruction from the Almighty it shall come. 
Therefore shall all hands be feeble, 
And every heart of man shall melt; 
And they shall be dismayed; 
Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; 
As a woman in travail, shall they be in pain; 
Each in amazement shall behold another; 
Their faces shall be faces of flame. 

Behold, the day of Jehovah corneth, 
Cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, 
To make the land a desolation, 
And to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 

For the stars of heaven and its constellations shall not give their light; 
The sun shall be darkened in its going forth, 
And the moon shall not cause its light to shine. 
And I will visit evil upon the world, 
And upon the wicked their iniquity; 

And I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, 
And I will humble the haughtiness of the terrible. 
I will make a man more rare than fine gold, 
Even a man than the pure gold of Ophir. 

Therefore will T make the heavens to tremble, 
And the earth shall be shaken out of her place, 
In the wrath of Jehovah of hosts 
And in the day of the fierceness of his anger. 
And it shall be that, as a gazelle that is chased, 
And as a flock with no one to gather it, 
They shall turn every man to his own people, 
And flee every one to his own land. 
Every one that is found shall be thrust through, 
And every one that is taken sha'l fall by the sword. 
Their infants also shall be dashed down before their eyes; 
Their houses shall be rifled, and their wives ravished- 



THE DOOM OF BABYLON. 253 

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, 
Who esteem not silver, and delight not in gold. 
Their bows shall dash down young men, 
And the fruit of the womb they shall not pity, 
And their eye shall not spare children. 

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,' 
The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, 
Shall be as God's overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
It shall never be inhabited, 

Nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; 
Neither shall the Arabian pitch his tent there, 
Nor shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there; 
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, 
And their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; 
And ostriches shall dwell there, 
And wild goats shall dance there; 
And wolves shall howl in their castles, 
And jackals in the pleasant palaces: 
And her time has nearly come, 
And her days shall not be prolonged. 

For Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob, 
And will yet choose Israel, 
And set them in their own land; 
And the sojourner shall join himself with them, 
And they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 
And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place, 
And the house of Israel shall possess them in Jehovah's land, 
For servants and for handmaids; 

And they shall take captive those that take them captive, 
And they shall rule over their oppressors. 

The second poem, the Song of Triumph over 

pJe 3 m SeC ° nd the King " of Bab y lon > nas an introduction in 

prose, and consists of five strophes; the first 
strophe is a sigh of relief that the world's oppressor is gone, the 
second represents Sheol as troubled that he is coming thither, 
the third recalls his vain boasts of exaltation before he fell, the 
fourth magnifies his degradation by the fact that his body is 
thrown away without burial, and the fifth predicts an exterminat- 
ing curse on his posterity. 

(Introduction addressed to Israel.) 

And it shall come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall give thee 
rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service 
wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this parable 
against the king of Babylon, and say, 



254 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

How hath the oppressor ceased, — ceased is the insolent rage! 

Jehovah has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers; 

That struck the peoples in anger, — with incessant stroke; 

That ruled the nations in wrath, — with unrelenting rule- 

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 

Yea, the fir-trees rejoice over thee, the cedars of Lebanon, (saying) 

Since thou art laid low, no hewer is come up against us. 

Sheol beneath is moved at thee, to meet thy coming; 
It stirreth up the shades for thee, even all the he-goats of the earth; 
It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 
They all shall answer and say unto thee, 
Art thou also weak as we? Art thou become like unto us J 
Reduced to Sheol is thy pomp, the noise of thy viols: 
Under thee maggots are spread, and worms cover thee. 

How thou are fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! 
How thou art cut down to the ground, that didst lay the nations low! 
And it is thou that saidst in thy heart, I will ascend the heavens, 
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; 

And I will sit on the mount of congregation, in the uttermost north; 
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; 
I will make myself like the Most High: 
Yet thou art cast down to Sheol, to the uttermost pit. 

They that see thee shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, (saying) 
"Is this the man that made the earth tremble, that made kingdoms quake; 
That made the world a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; 
That released not his prisoners to their home'?" 
All the kings of the nations, all of them, 
Sleep in glory, every one in his own house; 

But thou art cast forth away from thy sepulcher as an abominable branch, 
Covered with the slain, that are thrust through with the sword, 
That go down to the stones of the pit as a carcass trodden under foot. 

Thou shall not be joined with them in burial, 
Because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; 
The seed of evil doers shall not be named for ever. 

Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter for the iniquity of their fathers, 
That go down to the stones of the pit as a carcass trodden under foot. 
And fill the face of the world with cities. 

To the foregoing dirge is appended an Epilogue explaining 
that this is Jehovah's doing, and that He will make it complete. 
It is as follows : 

And I will rise up against them, saith Jehovah of hosts, 

And cut off from Babylon name and remnant, 

And progeny and offspring, saith Jehovah. 

I will also make it a possession for the porcupine and pools of water. 

And I will sweep it with a sweeping of destruction, saith Jehovah of hosts. 



THE DOOM OF BABYLON. 255 

An understanding of these poems is possible 
Oon^tiona. on * y ^y a cons ideration of the international con- 

ditions at the time of Babylon's supremacy, the 
character and disposition of the Babylonian king, and the bear- 
ings of all of those upon the people and purposes of Jehovah. 
The Babylonians had conquered many nations, had carried away 
their wealth, had rendered their people captives and given them 
no hope of ever securing a release. Babylon was to the nations 
a robber and a taskmaster, a cruel murderer and a constant op- 
pressor. All the nations longed for her fall; and the Hebrew 
prophet in particular, because he believed in the justice of Je- 
hovah, looked for a full and speedy retribution. In the descrip- 
tion of the nation and its ruler in these poems a strictly his- 
torical character is portrayed. The allusions to "iniquity," 
"haughtiness," "arrogance," "Babylon the glory of kingdoms 
and beauty of the Chaldeans' pride," "the oppressor," "the 
man that made the earth tremble and kingdoms quake," "that 
made the world a wilderness," "that released not prisoners to 
return home," are all faithful to the facts, and the persons are 
justly condemned as worthy of the severest punishment. 

The relation of Babylon to Jehovah's people 
Relation of w {\\ ^ e seen \yy the following facts; Judah had 

to Judah. been tributary to Assyria; and when Pharaoh 

Necho of Egypt marched through Palestine to 
attack Assyria, Josiah vainly tried to check his advance, and lost 
his life in the battle of Megiddo about 609 B. C. This brought 
Judah under Egypt ; and after a reign of three months, the new 
king Jehoahaz, unfaithful to Pharaoh, was deposed and sent to 
Egypt, while his place was given to his brother Jehoiakim, 608 
B. C. Pharaoh Necho was about to go on against Assyria; but 
hearing that Nineveh was attacked by the Medes and Babylonians, 
he waited for the result at Riblah, in northern Syria. When 
Nineveh fell, 606 B. C, Pharaoh had a new enemy to meet, the 
young Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; and the battle which was 
fought at Charchemish on the Euphrates, 605 B. C, issued in 
Pharaoh's defeat and a westward march of the forces of Ne- 
buchadnezzar. Jehoiakim, being regarded as a vassal of Egypt, 
was bound ready to be carried to Babylon, and the temple of 



256 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Jerusalem was pillaged; but at this juncture the death of Ne- 
buchadnezzar's father, with whom he was reigning jointly, called 
the warrior king to Babylon to care for his royal interests, and 
Jehoiakim was permitted to reign three years longer. He was 
removed for rebellion; and his son Jehoiakin reigned three 
months and ten days, when his unfaithfulness brought Nebuchad- 
nezzar and his army against Jerusalem with the result that the 
king was takm a prisoner to Babylon with about 10,000 of his 
chief supporters and all the spoils of the temple, about 599 B.C. 
This disaster was worse than repeated in 588, when Zedekiah 
rebelled trusting to Egypl for assistance; for the Egyptians were 
defeated. Jerusalem was captured, the king taken, his sons slain, 
the city devastated and the people carried away into a miserable 
captivity.* The cruelties of this campaign were never forgotten 
by the Jews-, and the merciless character of the Babylonians 
marked them as a sure target for the unerring justice of Jehovah. 
God had punished faithless Judah by Babylon; now Babylon, 
much worse, must be wiped out forever. 

But why a prophecy of Babylon's destruction ? 
Why Babylon T , ]( , d j v j 11( . oversight of the nations is exercised 
in Prophecy? ^ ^ many peoples that are not mentioned in 
prophecy, and may be assumed for every people whether thus 
noticed or not. It is certain that Hebrew prophets do not fore- 
cast the doom of each particular nation, and especially of those. 
outside of their acquaintance, though they may be included some- 
times in such comprehensive terms as "all nations," "all the 
earth," "the whole world." etc.: but why is Babylon, along with 
a few others, severely threatened with ruin while many nations 
are not mentioned at all .' This is not explained (a) by the merely 
natural and human trait of the prophet to be interested only in 
thai which comes under his immediate observation, nor (b) by 
his prejudice against those who are his national enemies, nor 
yet (c) by his desire to be popular with his countrymen; for 

*For account of Pharaoh Necho, sec I. Kings 23:29-34; of Jehoi- 
achin, I. Kings 24:10-10; of Xe.lekiah, I Kings 25:1-21; Jer. 52:1-16. 



THE DOOM OF BABYLON. 257" 

none of these solutions takes into account the data.,* as a scientific 
interpretation requires. The prophet himself, laying aside all 
prejudices and speaking in opposition to the popular sentiment 
which was non-Jehovistic, explains his message, "For Jehovah' 
will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel." This 
is the keystone of the whole arch of facts involved. This one 
truth has stood paramount from the call of Abraham to the pres- 
ent day. Disregard it, and the preparation for Christ in the 
legal and prophetic literature of the Old Testament is inexplica- 
ble, the Messianic foresight of the Hebrew prophets is an insolu- 
ble puzzle, and the long continued religious greatness of the 
people of Israel issuing in the supreme product of Christianity 
is the culmination of mysteries. 

The Answer The true answer, that Jehovah has chosen 

Prophetic. Israel, places this prediction where it belongs 

as a stone in the great prophetic building, which was not, as 
some imagine, a preparatory structure erected hundreds of years 
in advance of any need for it, but rather, like a school, designed 
to make ready a people for a worthy future. Jehovah chose 
Israel to act as His agent in the redemption of man through 
Christ, and the preparation for this office was eminently worthy 
of any supernatural enlightenment of the prophets that might be 
necessary to its accomplishment. It was no natural prevision 
that enabled the prophet constantly, even under the most ad- 
verse circumstances, to direct his messages toward this far off 
future ; and yet in this doom of Babylon the divine purpose and 
plan are as clear to his eye as in any of the remarkable utterances 
that precede it or follow it. This prediction, besides teaching 
the principles of national retribution and divine justice, pro- 
claims God's intent to remove the nation that threatens forever 
to hold the chosen people in captivity, and to raise up a people 
that will return them to their land (Isa. 14:1), which was neces- 

# The truth is, the Hebrew prophets again and again predict the 
success of their national enemies over their own people, not out of 
favor toward an enemy or disloyalty to their own nation, but as n 
visitation of divine justice -upon those in whom the prophets have 
deepest concern. The doom prophecy is but the announcement of liko- 
justicc upon such enemies. 



258 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

sary to their training and task. Babylon would never release the 
imprisoned nation of Israelites, but the people by whom Babylon 
was to be overthrown would be differently disposed. Thus was 
to be secured a double purpose, justice and the deliverance of 
Israel. If God had interposed no more in favor of Israel than 
of other nations, and all their ideas of divine choice had been only 
a dream, no adequate explanation of Israel's return to her land 
while other nations perished in Babylonia and of her subsequent 
religious pre-eminence, could be given. 

2. Miscellaneous Oracles. 

The book of Isaiah contains a collection of 
n ro- uc ory. c i 00in prophecies following that against Babylon ; 
but many of them are very brief, and are doubtless only frag- 
ments of the original prophecies. The dates of some of these 
are given (14:28; 20:1, 2) ; but concerning others much uncer- 
tainty exists, and the Isaian authorship of some of them is 
strongly contested by many scholars. "We have no means of 
knowing whether these announcements were sent to the several 
nations concerned, as the message of Jonah was said to have been 
delivered at Nineveh, or like many others, proclaimed only to 
Israel. Most of them have very few Messianic elements, although 
all of them bear on the choice of Israel by Jehovah as does the 
dirge of Babylon. Two passages of the group (18:7; 19:19-25) 
have been already studied.* 

Against A brief fragment concerning Assyria closety 

Assyria. follows the oracle against Babylon, and without 

introduction or date. It seems to most scholars improbable that 
Isaiah would first predict the downfall of Babylon and then a 
defeat of Assyria in the order of the text, when Assyria must 
certainly be overthrown before Babylon could come to power. 
It seems to follow that these oracles are not arranged in the order 
of production. This utterance reads as follows : 

pages 171-174. These passages are treated in that connection, 
■ of their intimate relation to other prophecies of the Isaiam 
period. 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLKS. 25f 

Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, 

Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; 
And as I have purposed, so shall it stand: 
That I will break the Assyrian in my land, 
And upon my mountains tread him under foot; 
Then shall his yoke depart from off them, 
And his burden depart from off their shoulder. 

This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth, 
And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations. 
For Jehovah of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? 
And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? 

— Isa. 14:24-27. 

This implies that the Assyrians at the time 
Messianic £ ^e oracle had sovereignty over Israel or 

Judah, that their rule was oppressive, and that 
they nrast meet with defeat in Palestine. Clearly the lesson for 
Israel is, that Jehovah will defend His people and maintain the 
honor of His own name by the discomfiture of the enemy in Hii 
own land. This is not a prophecy of the fall of Assyria, but of 
some such defeat as that of Sennacherib in Judah (Isa. 37:36, 
37). Jehovah's purpose is Messianic, since it includes the whole 
earth and cannot be withstood. 

This prophecy is dated "in the year that king 

PWlStia. Ah ^ z died '" which was about 727 B - C - The 

occasion seems to be the visit of "messengers" 

of some nation, presumably Philistia, seeking an "answer" on 
some international question. At this time the Palestinian nations 
were under the yoke of Assyria; hence it is probable that the 
Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III. had just died (which occurred 
in 727), that Philistia thought it an opportune time to make an 
allied effort to secure independence, and that proposals were be- 
ing submitted to Judah to enter the alliance. Such combinations 
for liberty were usual on the death of Assyrian monarchs, and 
certainly took place about this time in Northern Israel, leading 
to the downfall of Samaria in 722. The following is the 
prophecy : 

In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden: 

Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, 
Because the rod that smote thee is broken; 



260 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

For out of the serpent's root shall come forth an adder, 

And his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. 

And the first-born of the poor shall feed, 

And the needy shall lie down in safety; 

And I will kill thy root with famine, 

And thy remnant shall be slain. 

Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! 

Thou are melted away, O Philistia, all of thee; 

For from the north cometh a smoke, 

And there is no straggler in his ranks. 

What then shall one answer the messengers of the nation! 

That Jehovah hath founded Zion, 

And in her shall the afflicted of his people take refuge. 

— Isa. 14:28-32. 

The prophet advises Philistia not to rejoice 
Th 6 eht a * ^ ne monarcn ' s death; for his successor will 

be as much worse than he as an adder is worse 
than a common serpent.* Nevertheless as for Judah's "poor" and 
"needy," on whose behalf the messengers probably make a pa- 
thetic plea, they will be well fed and safe. But Philistia, that 
wishes to rebel, shall be wasted with famine and slaughter, and 
Jehovah will bring this about through the well-trained army 
"from the north." The answer to the messengers, therefore, will 
be, that Jehovah has^ established Zion, and her afflicted people 
can trust Him for safety. This means, in brief, that Judah will 
not enter the alliance ; and the reason is, that Jehovah is her per- 
petual and invincible Protector. 

•Driver (Life and Times of Isaiah, p. 87) says, "The prophecy 
belongs, in all probability to 705 or 704 B. C, Sargon being the 
'snake,' and Sennacherib the more terrible 'serpent flying about.' The 
Philistines might well feel elated upon receiving news of the murder 
of Sargon, who had ruinously defeated Hanno of Gaza, at Kaphia, in 
720, and had captured Ashdod in 711." This unnecessarily sets aside 
the title of this oracle which dates it "in the year that king Ahaz 
died.'' It is true that Sargon was a dreaded foe to the Philistines; but 
it is equally certain that Tiglath-Pileser III. in 734 conquered the 
Philistine cities Ekron, Ashdod and Ashkelon, and that he plundered 
Gaza. He was the first to undertake the reduction of all Western Asia 
into a single empire; and in 728, just before his death, he completed 
his ambitious task by receiving "from the hand of Bel" the crown of 
Babylon. 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 261 

A more lengthy oracle against Moab (Isa.15 :1- 

Moa? 8 * 16:12) consists mainly of the names of cities 

that shall be wasted and descriptions of the 

weeping and wailing that shall abound. The following extracts 

are specially significant : 

Send ye the lambs for the ruler of the land, 

From Sela desertward unto the mount of the daughter v of Zion; 

For it shall be that, as wandering birds, as a scattered nest, 

So ahall Moab 's daughters be at the fords of the Arnon. 

Give counsel, execute justice; 

Make thy shade as the night in the midst of noonday; 

Hide the outcasts, betray not the fugitive. 

Let mine outcasts dwell with thee; 

As for Moab, be thou a covert to him from the face of the destroyer. 

For the extortioner is brought to nought, destruction ceaseth, 

Oppressors are consumed out of the land. 

And a throne shall be established in loving-kindness, 

And there shall sit upon it in truth in the tent of David, 

One judging and seeking justice, and skilled in righteousness, 

And when Moab appears, wearies himself upon the high place, 
And enters his sanctuary to pray, he shall prevail nothing. 

— Isa. 16:1-5,12. 

The sending of lambs signifies the tribute which Moab will 
pay to Judah; and Judah in turn will kindly receive the fugi- 
tives of Moab when their homes shall be destroyed, which implies 
that Judah will not be the destroyer. The throne in the tent of 
David clearly suggests the final supremacy of the Davidic king 
over Moab, and he will show lovingkindness to the outcasts of 
the unfortunate people in marked contrast with the spirit which 
Moab has usually shown toward Israel. The idolatry of Moab 
will fail, which implies that he will learn to serve Jehovah. This 
brings the prophecy to the same end as many others which look 
to the universal and righteous dominion of the descendants of 
David and the world-wide service of Jehovah.* A very similar 

"Appended to this oracle is the following: "This is the word that 
Jehovah spake concerning Moab in time past; but now Jehovah hath 
spoken, saying, Within three years as the years of a hireling the glory 
of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude, 
and the remnant shall be very small and of no account. " This asserts 
that the preceding prophecy was earlier, but gives no limit as to date 
or authorship. Hitzig and others suggest that the disaster to Moab 
was the work of Jeroboam IT., and the main oracle was written by 
Jonah (2 Ki. 14:25); but Delitzsch points out numerous Isaian marks 



262 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

utterance concerning Moab is found in Jer. xlviii, with a like 
Messianic drift. 

The next oracle, directed against Damascus 
A ins t and the land of Syria, includes also a prediction 

Damascus and concerning Northern Israel, here called Ephraim. 
Ephraim. Tha i this was written by Isaiah is generally con- 

ceded ; for in addition to the similarity of style 
with writings acknowledged to he his, the prophecy has a natural 
historical connection with ch. vii and ix. 8 — x. 4. The conjunction 
of Ephraim and Syria in the prediction implies their confederacy 
as in the days of Ahaz (ch. vii). when Northern Israel and Da- 
mascus formed an alliance against Tiglath-Pileser III. of Assyria 
and tried to force Judah to join with them. There is here not- 
ably a silence concerning any threat of hostilities against Judah, 
which points to a time somewhat earlier than that of ch. vii, 
probably about the beginning of the coalition, 735 B. C, certainly 
before the Assyrian conquest of Damascus in 732, when the al- 
liance was broken down. * The passage as follows bears no date, 
but has the title, "The Burden of Damascus:" 

Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, 
And it shall be a ruinous heap. 
Forsaken are the cities of Aroer; 
They shall be for flocks, 

That shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 
Also the fortress shall cease from Ephraim, 

And the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria; 
They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith Jehovah of hosts. 

of style and thought, and regards the appendix a later addition when 
Isaiah saw the ruin of Moab more imminent. The time of this devas- 
tation is uncertain. The Assyrian monuments inform us that Moab 
united with Philistia, Judah and Edom in revolt against Sargon II. 
of Assyria, relying on Egypt for help. Sargon defeated Egypt, took 
Ashdod of Philistia into captivity, and quelled the rebellion about 711 
B. C. (See Schrader's Assyrian Texts, II p. 64); but Sargon does not 
relate an invasion of Moab. Other Assyrian kings, Sennacherib, Esar- 
haddon and Assurbanipal, received tribute from Moab, but do not de- 
scribe a raid in that land; yet it may have occurred, since their annals 
are fragmentary. Moab lost its national power under Nebuchadnezzar, 
and reference to Moabites after the Exile relate only to individuals or 
to the Arabs that possessed their land. 

*It was in 734 that Tiglath-Pileser III., responding to the invita- 
tion of Ahaz, attacked Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Samaria. Rezin 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 263 

And in that day it shall come to pass, 
That the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, 
And the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. 
And it shall be as when a harvestman gathers the grain, 
And his arm reaps the ears; 

Yea, it shall be as when one gleans ears in the valley of Eephaim. 
Yet there shall be left therein gleanings, as the shaking of an olive-tree, 
Two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, 
Four or five in the outmost branches of a fruitful tree, 

saith Jehovah, the God of Israel. 

In that day shall men look unto their Maker, 
And their eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 
And they shall not look to the altars the work of their hands; 
Neither shall they have respect to that which their fingers have made, 
Either the Asherim, or the sun-images. 

In that day shall their strong cities be 
As the forsaken places in the wood and on the mountain-top, 
Which were forsaken from before the children of Israel; 
And it shall be a desolation. 

For thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, 
And hast not been mindful of the Eock of thy strength; 
Therefore thou plantest pleasant plants, and settest it with strange slips. 
In the day of thy planting thou hedgest it in, 
And in the morning thou makest thy seed to blossom; 
But the harvest fleeth away in the day of grief and sore anguish. 

— Isa. 17:1-11. 

The prophecy foretells the ruin of Damascus 
Significance. w hich served as a fortress to Ephraim," be- 
cause it was an allied stronghold much nearer the enemy, the 
Assyrians; includes the fall of Northern Israel, as grain in 
harvest till there be only ' ' gleanings ' ' of population left ; predicts 
that Israel will then remember Jehovah whom they have for- 
saken ; and explains that it is on account of their defection from 
Him that the desolation is coming. The value of the prophecy is 
primarily, that it is a Avarning that the alliance of Syria and 
Israel against Assyria will fail. It is intended to prevent Judah 
from entering the conspiracy, and it is also an admonition 
against turning from Jehovah to the worship of idols. -The sal- 
was defeated in battle, and fled to Damascus, which was immediately be- 
sieged; but a portion of the Assyrian army moved on westward devas- 
tating Galilee and other provinces. Damascus fell in 732. The campaign 
closed with a court held at Damascus which nearly a score of subjected 
princes, including Ahaz (called on the inscriptions Jehoahaz), were re- 
quired to attend. 



264 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

vation of Judah from the destructive league of the other nations 

and from the fatal error of forsaking Jehovah are undoubtedly 

the chief and highest interests of the prediction. 

An abrupt turn of the prophecy occurs at Isa. 

Against the tf .32 and the rest of the chapter seems to pre- 
Assyrians. c . *_ 

diet some dire disaster to the Assyrians. The 

predictions are wholly irrelevant to Damascus and Ephraim 
which are the subjects of the previous verses; and no connection 
with the following chapter is discernible. The passage is prob- 
ably a fragment of a more complete poem, which may have b«en 
e' imposed by Isaiah not long before Sennacherib's invasion into 
Judah, 701 B. C. Isa. xxxvii. Enough of the poem appears here 
to indicate that the impending event will prove a divine inter- 
position in behalf of Judah. The fragment reads thus: 

Ho! An uproar of many peoples, 

That roar like the roaring of the seas; 

And the rushing of nations, 

That rush like the rushing of mighty waters! 

The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: 

But he shall rebuke them, and they shall flee afar, 

And shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, 

And like the whirling dust before the storm. 

At evening, behold, terror; 

And before the morning they are not. 

This is the portion of them that despoil us, 

And the lot of them that rob us. 

—Isa. 17:12-14. 

The Assyrians always took with their own 
?^ e . forces many soldiers gathered from among 

other nations which they had subdued ; and thus 
"many peoples" rushed hither and thither through the coun- 
tries which they invaded. The "rebuke" is to be administered 
by Jehovah, but the manner of it is indicated only by the 
"chasim. r as chaff before the wind," which implies a great de- 
feat. The appearance of "terror" at evening and a disappear- 
ance of men before morning may rather poetically picture the 
suddenness of the overthrow than foretell a misfortune by night ; 
yet we cannot resist comparing with this the record of Senna- 
cherib's remarkable loss in Palestine at night. Isa. 37:36. The 
closing lines imply that a similar lot must fall to any that de- 
spoil or rob the people of Jehovah. Compare the ruin and rob- 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 265 

bery which the Assyrians wrought in Israel, Isa. 10:6-13. Je- 
hovah will punish such cruelty and inhumanity, and will defend 
His own purpose to save Israel. The Messianic value lies 
in this divine defense of Israel. 

Chapter xviii is in many respects obscure, 
Against an since it contains some doubtful Hebrew words 

Alliance 11 an< ^ uncertain historical allusions. The clearest 

sense seems to be secured by understanding that 
Ethiopia has sent embassadors to Judah to propose an alliance 
against Assyria, and that Isaiah advises the embassadors to re- 
turn to their people and watch for a signal that Jehovah has 
overthrown the Assyrians. The time was probably not long be- 
fore Sennacherib's invasion into Judah (701 B. C), when Tir- 
hakah was king of Ethiopia ; for Tirhakah was expected to help 
Judah against Sennacherib (Isa. 37:9). From this it seems 
that Isaiah's prophecy did not prevent Hezekiah the king of 
Judah from entering the alliance, in which also Egypt and 
Philistia were included. The strange disaster that befell Sen- 
nacherib's army (Isa. 37:36) brought a fulfilment of the predic- 
tion. The prophecy is a poem as follows: 

Ha! The land of the rustling of wings, 

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; 

Which sendeth out embassadors on the sea, 

Even in vessels of papyrus upon the waters, saying, 

Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, 

To a people terrible from their beginning onward, 

A nation that meteth out and treadeth down, 

Whose land the rivers divide! 

All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, 

When an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, behold; 

And when the trumpet is blown, hearken. 

Eor thus saith Jehovah unto me, 
I will be still, and I will behold in my dwelling-place, 
Like clear heat in sunshine, 
Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. 
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, 
And the flower becomes a ripening grape, 
Ee will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, 
And the spreading branches will he take away, cut down. 
They shall be left together to the ravenous birds of the mountains, 
And to the beasts of the earth; 
And the ravenous birds shall summer upon them, 



266 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

And all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. 

In that time shall a present be brought unto Jehovah of hosts, 

From a people tall and smooth, 

Even from a people terrible from their beginning onward, 

A nation that meets out and treads down, 

"Whose land the rivers divide. 

To the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts, the mount Zion. 

The Messianic feature is, that all the world 
Messianic jg ca \\ e ^ ^ 110 ^- e t ne trumpet sound that will an- 

Cli3.r3.ct6r. 

nounce the fall of Assyria, the representative 

enemy of Israel by the hand of Israel's God, Jehovah. The em- 
bassadors may as well go home; for the alliance will be in vain, 
since it will not give honor to Jehovah, and it is He that will 
break the power of the oppressor. Compare with this the fact 
that it was after the allies had all failed to stand before Sen- 
nacherib, that Jehovah smote the army by night. The turning 
of Ethiopia to Jehovah (v. 7) has been already discussed.* 

Chapter xix of Isaiah has two distinct parts: 
Against vv j-17 contain a doom prophecy that may be 

appropriately considered in this group; but w. 
18-25 record a forecast of national conversion which has been 
considered in the prophecies of Isaiah's period. Whether the 
two passages were composed in their present connection, we do 
not know; for while they are utterly diverse in spirit, the 
despair in the one and the devotion in the other may have the 
relation of cause and effect. 

The doom passage may be presented in the 
The Doom following semi-poetic form to show the paral- 

lelisms and perhaps hint to the reader the poetic 
unreality of the description: 

Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud, 

And cometh unto Egypt; 

And the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence, 

And the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. 

And I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians: 

*See p. 171, where it is associated with the conversion of other 
nations. That prediction and this are not inconsistent; for this is not 
so much a prophecy against Ethiopia as against Assyria. The first 
word in 11h' presenl passage is not "woo," as in A. V., but "ha," an 
appeal for al tout ion. 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 267 

And they shall fight every one against his brother, 

And every one against his neighbor; 

City against city, kingdom against kingdom. 

And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it, 

And I will defeat the counsel of it; 

And they shall seek unto the idols, and the charmers, 

And to them that have familiar spirits, and the wizards. 

And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; 

And a fierce king shall rule over them, 

Saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts. 

And the waters shall fail from the sea, 

And the river shall be wasted and become dry. 

And the rivers shall become foul; 

The streams of Egypt shall be diminished and dried up; 

The reeds and flags shall wither away. 

The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile. 

And all the sown fields of the Nile, shall become dry, 

Shall be driven away, and be no more. 

And the fishers shall lament, 

And all that cast a hook into the Nile shall mourn, 

And they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. 

Moreover they that work in combed flax, 

And they that weave white cloth, shall be ashamed. 

And the pillars of Egypt shall be broken in pieces; 

All they that work for hire, grieved in soul. 

The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; 

The counsel of the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh is become stupid. 

How say ye unto Pharaoh, 

I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? 

Where then are thy wise men? 

And let them tell thee now 

And know what Jehovah of hosts hath purposed concerning Egypt. 

The princes of Zoan are deluded, 

The princes of Memphis are deceived; 

They have caused Egypt to go astray, 

That are the corner-stone of her castes. 

Jehovah hath mingled in her midst a spirit of perverseness, 

So that they have caused Egypt to go astray in every work of it, 

As a drunken man staggereth about in his vomit. 

Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, 

Which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do. 

In that day shall the Egyptians be like unto women, 

And they shall tremble and fear, 

Because of the shaking of the hand of Jehovah of hosts, 

Which he shakes against them. 

And the land of Judah shall become a terror to Egypt; 

Every one to whom it is mentioned shall be afraid, 

Because of the purpose of Jehovah of hosts, 

Which lie purposeth against it. — Isa. 19:1-17. 



268 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Egypt as a heathen nation cannot stand ; for 
Thought ding Jehovah will bring upon it weakness, failure and 
terror. The idols will tremble, the warriors in 
confusion will fight with one another, the government will be- 
come a cruel despotism, drought and the consequent failure of 
the leading industries will bring despair, the counsellors with the 
stupidity of brutes will deceive the princes, and all Egypt like 
women in war shall be in a daze of dread. It will all be the 
work of Jehovah, who purposes to humble the pride of that 
idolatrous people, and manifest His own divine supremacy in the 
earth. In this purpose again is the Messianic bearing. 

This prophecv would well fit into the time 
Its Fitness 

when Hezekiah was making alliances with 

Egypt and other nations against Assyria;* for in describing the 
weakness of Egypt compared with Jehovah, Isaiah could show 
the folly of Judah's depending on Egypt for help and rejecting 
the vastly superior power of her own God. Judah ought to de- 
pend on Jehovah to deal with Assyria; for He is able, and has 
a great "purpose" which no nation nor league of nations can 
change or thwart. 

Chapter xx is a brief message concerning 

Egypt* Again. E^P* §' iyen Dy Isaiah when Sargon, king of 
Assyria, took Ashdod and severely punished its 
people for rebellion. Sargon 's inscriptions inform us that in 
711 B. C. he took Ashdod, which was then the chief center of the 
defection, that he deposed the king Azuri, who had persuaded 
Judah and other states to invite Egypt to aid them against 
Assyria, and that he appointed Akhimit, Azuri 's brother, over 
the city. When the people displaced Akhimit with another 
traitor to Assyria, named Yaman, Sargon sent his chief officer 

( a turtanu) against Ashdod, captured the city, carried its peo- 
ple captive, and demanded and secured Yaman from the king 

*This alliance brought on the invasion by Sennacherib 701 B. C. 
Isaiah informs us in the next chapter (see next paragraph below) that 
a similar coalition was made against Sargon, 711 B. <'., and Sargon 
relates his vengeful victories against the allies. It is possible, as Prof. 
€heyne has suggested, that the present text, 19:1-17, may have been 
uttered just before the defeat of Egypt by Sargon in 720. 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 269 

of Meluhha, to whom he had fled for refuge. Judah at that 
time escaped punishment only because the Assyrians were hur- 
ried away by military demands elsewhere. The chapter reads 
thus: 

"In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon the king 
of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it; at that 
time Jehovah spake by Isaiah the son of Amos, saying, Go, and loose the 
sackcloth from off thy loins and put thy shoe off thy foot. And he did 
so, walking stripped and barefoot. And Jehovah said, Like as my 
servant Isaiah has walked stripped and barefoot three years for a 
sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning Ethiopia; so shall 
the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of 
Ethiopia, young and old, stripped and barefoot and with bodies un- 
covered, to the shame of Egypt. And they shall be dismayed and cou- 
founded, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their 
glory. And the inhabitant of this coast-land shall say in that day, 
Behold, such is our expectation, whither we fled for help to be delivered 
from the king of Assyria! and we, how shall we escape?" Isa. xx. 

Again the force of the prophecy is, mainly, 
The Mean g. ^t reliance on Egypt and Ethiopia will be dis- 
appointing; for the Assyrians will defeat both of them. The 
prophet was wearing sackcloth probably in evidence of his grief 
over the policy of the government which was entering a con- 
spiracy to break its own oath of allegiance to Assyria. He is 
told to put off all his raiment but an under-garment, and go 
about robeless and barefoot as a sign that the Egyptians and 
Ethiopians will be defeated by Assyria, and be taken thus strip- 
ped into captivity. Then the nations that have depended on 
them shall be chagrinned, and will be forced to face the ques- 
tion, "And we, — how shall we escape?" No doubt Isaiah at 
this time also urged that Judah should depend on Jehovah, who 
only was able to relieve her from the thraldom of Assyrian dom- 
ination. Jehovah was too jealous for His own great Name and 
of Judah 's devotion to allow Egypt and Ethiopia to carry off 
the honor of the deliverance. Such a loss of Judah 's loyalty to 
God would impede the course of divine purposes with her in the 
future. 

"The oracle of the Wilderness of the Sea" is 

Against the half concealed heading of a brief but re- 

AgaS° n markable prediction of the fall of Babylon. Isa. 

21:1-10. The low plain of Babylon with its 



270 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

canals and lakes .of water, but half recovered from the Persia* 
Gulf, might well be called a wilderness (desert) of the sea. The 
reference to Elam and Media as the besiegers makes it clear that 
the overthrow by Cyrus (B. C. 538) is meant;* and this suggest* 
to many scholars that it is spoken by a prophet in the period of 
the Exile (599-536 B. C), which finds some confirmation in th« 
peculiar style of the utterance. The passage as follows is a 
mixture of prose and poetry, the poetical portions being th« 
kernel of prophecy, while the prose parts are parenthetical ex- 
planations of the prophet's experiences: 

As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, 
It comes from the wilderness, 
From a terrible land! 

A grievious vision is declared unto me; the treacherous man -deal* 
treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. 

Go up, O Elam; 

Besiege, O Media; 

All the sighing thereof will I make to cease. 

Therefore are my loins filled with anguish; pains have taken hold 
upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am pained so that I 
cannot hear, I am dismayed so that I cannot see. My heart pants, 
horror has affrighted me: the twilight that I desired has been turned 
into trembling unto me. 

They prepare the table, 

They spread the carpets, 

They eat, they drink: 

Eise up, ye princes, anoint the shield. 

For thus has the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman; let him 

*Driver, following Cheyne and Kleinert, holds that this prophecy 
refers to a siege of Babylon by the Assyrians in Isaiah's own day, and 
that Elam and Media are only "contingents in the assailing army." He 
urges that Isaiah's generation would have little interest in an event so 
distant as Cyrus' conquest, and that it would afford no occasion for 
alarm to Isaiah as indicated in vv. 3, 4, 10. Life and Times of Isa., 
pp. 96, 97. On this it must be said that probably neither the prophet 
nor his people knew how distant it would be; and, in fact, it was to be 
a matter of deep interest and great alarm, since when Cyrus' invasion 
should come, the prophet's people would be dwelling in the very land 
to be invaded. Certainly the omission of Assyria and the mention of 
"contingents" are very unsuitable to a prediction of an Assyrian, 
conquest. 



MISCELLANKOUS ORACLES. 27l 

■declare what he sees: and when he sees the troop, horsemen in pairs, a 
troop of asses, a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with muck 
leed. And he cried as a lion: 

O Lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day-tim«, 
And am set in my ward whole nights: 
And, behold, here comes a troop of men, 
Horsemen in pairs. 

And he answered and said, 

Babylon is fallen, is fallen; 

And' all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground. 

O thou my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have 
Tieard from Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto 
you." 

The prophet is here teaching that destruction 
The National w ^[ sweep through Babylon like whirlwinds in 
the South (the land just south of Judah, mostly 
.-a desert region) ; and it will come from a land where a warlike 
people dwell, but little known to the Hebrews, therefore called 
'"a terrible land." Elam was long the enemy of Babylon and of 
Assyria before Persia was prominent in history. Persia is not 
mentioned in pre-exilic books of the Bible. The "sighing 
thereof" is the anguish which Babylon inflicted on the nations 
around her, and which Jehovah was bringing to an end. The 
revelling of the Babylonians is graphically portrayed: they are 
preparing tables, eating and drinking, when suddenly they are 
called to rise up and anoint the shield for battle. 

In the picturesque style of the prophet there 
^ e . appears in poetic representation a watchman ap- 

pointed by Jehovah looking for Babylon's 
enemies coming in troops; and as soon as he sees the troops he 
announces the fall of the city. The secret of the utterance is, 
that "all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the 
ground;" and this signifies that while the Babylonians have 
boasted that their gods have overcome Jehovah, it is all untrue, 
and Jehovah will yet bring complete destruction to these divin- 
ities. Turning to the Jews, the prophet calls them his "thresh- 
ing," and the "grain of his floor," because they had been 



272 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

trodden down in the affliction of the exile. He declares that 
this message is from Jehovah. 

As a watchman on guard at night, the 
Edom St prophet poetically hears one voice after another 

from Seir (another name for Edom) calling for 
the hour of the night. Edom, like Judah, Avas afflicted by the 
Babylonians, and the night of oppression seemed long; and "as 
a sick man longs for the end of a sleepless night, and is con- 
stantly inquiring about the time" (Delitzsch), so Edom looks 
to the prophet to know the signs of a better day. The answer ' ' The 
morning is coming, and also the night," doubtless means that 
one oppression is about past, but another will quickly succeed 
it. When the Assyrians fell, the Babylonians rose; and after 
these the Persians, so that only a brief dawn of hope came as 
the rod of tyranny changed hands. The prophecy carries the 
title, "The Burden of Dumah," and reads as follows: 

One calleth unto me out of Seir, 
Watchman, what hour of the night? 
Watchman, what hour of the night? 

The watchman said, 

The morning is come and also the night: 
If ye will inquire, inquire; 
Turn ye, come. 

Isaiah xxi- 11, 12. 

Seir was an inveterate enemy of Jehovah and 
Th i6f ht Judah ; and the prophet is virtually predicting 

that the Edomites shall not again see the day 
of national liberty and greatness. By a slight change of the 
form Edom to Dumah, which means silence, he hints that the 
silence of national doom awaits the nation. If they wish to in- 
quire further, they may come again and inquire, but for the 
present there is no hope. There can be no hope till they are 
ready to cease opposition to Jehovah, and "come again" in 
loyal service to him. 

"The Oracle of Arabia" in Isaiah 21:13-17, 

Arab? 3 * lays a scene in the wilderness of northern 

Arabia, in which the caravans of Dedanite mer- 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 273 

chantmen have turned out of the regular roads from Damascus 
to Egypt through fear of being plundered by soldiers in a time 
of war ; and now wandering without food or drink, they are sup- 
plied by the hospitality of the inhabitants of Tenia. The time 
of the prophecy is unknown. It seems from the prediction that 
"within a year" Kedar should fail, that it was during some 
great military campaign like that of Sennacherib, Nebuchad- 
nezzar or Cambyses. The passage follows: 

In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, 

ye caravans of Dedanites. 

Unto him that was thirsty they brought water; 

The inhabitants of the land of Tenia met the fugitives with their bread; 

For they fled away from the swords, 

From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, 

And from the grievousness of war. 

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, within a year, according to 
the years of a hireling, all the glory of Kedar shall fail; and the residue 
of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, 
shall be few; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath spoken it. Isa. 
xxi. 13-17. 

The picture of distress and temporary relief 
Significance. ig put ag & hint that & war of desolation to 

Arabia has begun; and the prediction is then made bold that 
the defenders of the land will be cut off. This can mean noth- 
ing else than the downfall of the boasted strength of Arabia 
and the defeat of another nation that has mocked Jehovah and 
harassed His people. 

This prophecy, Isa. 22:1-14, is called the 
^erSem "Oracle of the Valley of Vision," probably be- 

cause Jerusalem is called the "Valley of Vis- 
ion," v. 5; for while it is situated on hills, it is almost sur- 
rounded by higher elevations, hence is comparatively a valley 
city, and it is the place of prophetic visions. Frequently it is 
the object of the vision, and is so in this case. The time is that 
of a siege of Jerusalem, probably by Sennacherib, 701 B. C, 
at a moment of temporary relief, perhaps wjien by Hezekiah's 
tribute the siege was raised. The people, regardless of their sins 
that brought on the siege, give way to festivities of a very 
tumultuous character ; but Isaiah is grieved at their impenitence 



274 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

and folly, and reminds them of their narrow escape and the 
certainty that they will die for their neglect of God. The utter- 
ance 3 as follows, is an address to the inhabitants of the city: 

What aileth thee now, 

That thou arl wholly gone up to the housetops? 

thou that art full of shoutings, 

A tumultuous city, a joyous town; 

Thy slain are not slain with the sword, 

Neither are they dead in battle. 

All thy rulers fled away together, 

They were bound by the archers; 

All that were found of thee were bound together; 

They had tied afar off. 

Therefore said I, Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; labor 
not to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people. 

For it is a day of discomfiture, 

And of treading down, and of perplexity, 

'From the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, in the valley of vision; 

A breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains. 

And Elam bare the quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; 

And Kir uncovered the shield. 

And it came to pass, that thy choicest valleys were full of chariots, 

And the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate. 

And he took away the covering of Judah; 

And thou didst then look to the armor in the house of the forest. 

And ye saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; 

And ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool; 

And ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, 

And ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall; 

And made a reservoir between two walls for the water of the old pool. 

But ye looked not unto him that had done this, 

Neither had ye respect unto him that purposed it long ago. 

And in that day did the Lord Jehovah of hosts call to weeping, 
.And to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth; 
And, behold, joy and gladness, 
Slaying oxen and killing sheep, 
Eating flesh, and drinking wine: 
Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. 
.And Jehovah of hosts revealed himself in mine ears, 
Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven till ye die, 
saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts. 

Here the Prophet (1) accuses the people of 

The reveling on the housetops, whence they beheld 

the retreating enemy, gives them his vision of 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 275 

another siege and the capture of their fleeing princes; (2) re- 
calls the straits through which they have just passed; (3) 
charges them with disregard of Jehovah, the real author of their 
troubles; and (4) announces Jehovah's call to penitence and 
threat of death for their iniquities. This prophecy is pathetic 
with the grief of its author, that the only people whom Jehovah 
has chosen should forsake Him, that they should be deaf to His 
pleadings and blind to His doings, and that thus by their obsti- 
nacy the gracious purposes of God should be imperiled. What 
less than death can they deserve ? Here is unquestionably a 
Messianic crisis. 

Isaiah's only doom prophecy against an in- 
Shebna! dividual is that in 22 :15-25, as follows : 

"Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, Go, get 
thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, who is over the house, 
(and say) 

What doest thou here? and whom hast thou here, 
That thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulcher? 
(Hewing him out a sepulcher on high, 
Graving a habitation for himself in the roek!) 

Behold, Jehovah, like a strong man, will hurl thee away violently; 
Yea, he will wrap thee up closely'. 
He will surely wind thee round and round, 
And toss thee like a ball into a large country; 
There shalt thou die, 

And there shall be the chariots of thy glory, 
Thou shame of thy lord's house. 
And I will thrust thee from thine office; 
And from thy station shalt thou be pulled down. 

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant 
Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: and I will clothe him with thy robe, and 
strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into 
his hands; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and 
to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay 
upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall 
shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure 
place; and he shall be for a throne of glory to his father's house. And 
they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the off- 
spring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the 
flagons. In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall the nail that was 
fastened in a sure place give way; and it shall be hewn down, and 
fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for Jehovah hath 
spoken it. 



276 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The treasurer was the official that had charge 
of the king's household, and was next to the king 
in power. It is not certain that Shebna was a foreigner unduly 
honored in Judah; but it is very probable that he opposed 
Isaiah's policy, and favored the Egyptian alliance, and that his 
reckless use of personal influence against a national loyalty to 
Jehovah was the reason for his removal. His arrogance was 
manifested also in his effort to prepare for himself a costly 
sepulchre and his disposition to ride in chariots of almost royal 
splendor. These undeserved privileges Jehovah would not per- 
mit him to enjoy; and Isaiah boldly announced to him that he 
should be thrust out of his office, and a faithful servant of 
Jehovah put into his place. This was actually done; for when 
Sennacherib's siege was imminent, Eliakim was in Shebna 's 
position (Isa. 36:3).* 

Isaiah presents a double forecast for Shebna 's 
El?a P k°Ss ility ' successor: (1) He shall be duly invested with 
power over the house of David by having charge 
of the royal family and the court; and in this position he shall 
have unlimited authority to be exercised for the good of all the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem. This implies that his influence in the 
government of the nation was to be all but supreme. That his 
office should be a great honor to his relatives, is implied in the 
prediction that he should "be for a throne of glory to his 
father's house." (2) His abuse of his power by putting into 
places of trust his kinsmen, great and small, without regard to 
their worthiness, shall prove an occasion of his downfall, as a 
tent-pin too heavily laden with vessels, good and bad, comes 
crashing to the ground. Thus Jehovah will exalt a man who will 
execute His pleasure, but will not permit an abuse of sacred 
trusts to meet the selfish ends of a motley company of court 
dependents. 

*The facts that Eliakim is mentioned in the prophecy as the future 
overseer of the king's house, and that in 701 he is said to be in the 
office, suggest that this prophecy must have been uttered not long before 
that eventful year. It is worth noting that Shebna had enough of the 
king's confidence to be retained in another prominent office, that of 
Secretary (Isa. 63:3), even when by Isaiah's demand he had lost his 
former place. 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 277 

In chapter xxiii, Isaiah utters a doom proph- 
Against eey a g a inst the city of Tyre. The passage is 

partly poetic and partly prose, as follows : 

Howl ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, 

So that there is no house, no entering in: 

FTom the land of Kittim it is revealed to them. 

Be still, ye inhabitants of the coast, 

Whom the merchants of Sidon, that traverse the sea, replenished. 

And on great waters the seed of the Shihor, 

The harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; 

And she was the mart of nations. 

Be thou ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, 

The stronghold of the sea, saying, 

I have not travailed, nor brought forth, 

Neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins. 

When the report cometh to Egypt, 

They shall be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. 

Pass ye over to Tarshish; 

Wail, ye inhabitants of the coast. 

Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days, 

Whose feet carried her afar off to sojourn? 

Who hath purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, 
whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the 
earth? Jehovah of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, 
to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth. 

Pass through thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; 

There is no restraint any more. 

He hath stretched out his hand over the sea, 

He hath shaken the kingdoms; 

Jehovah hath given commandment concerning Canaan, 

To destroy the strongholds thereof. 

And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, 

O thou oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon: 

Arise, pass over to Kittim; 

Even there shalt thou have no rest. 

Behold, the land of the Chaldeans: this people was not; 
The Assyrian set it for them that dwell in the wilderness: 
They set up their siege-towers; 
They overthrew the palaces thereof; 
They made it a ruin. 
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; 
For your stronghold is laid waste. 

And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten 
seventy years, according to the days of one king; after the end of 
Beventy years it shall be unto Tyre as in the song of the harlot: 



278 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



Take a harp, go about the city, 
Thou harlot that hast been forgotten; 
Make sweet melody, sing many songs, 
That thou mayest be remembered. 

And it shall come to -pass after the end of seventy years, that 
Jehovah will visit Tyre, and she shall return to her hire, and shall play 
the harlot with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the 
earth. And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to Jehovah: 
it shall not be treasured up nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be 
for them that dwell before Jehovah, to eat sufficiently, and for durable 
clothing. 

Tyre was attacked by the Assyrian king Slial- 

£ al1 of manezer IV, B. C. 726. who used a fleet of sixty 

Tyre. ' . 

vessels; but with twelve warships Tyre defeated 

the whole armada: but the siege lasted five years till the death 
of Shalmanezer (Josephus Ant. ix. 14, 2). The next king, Sar- 
gon, does not record its capture. Phoenicia was invaded by 
Sennacherib, 701, and the country devastated: but the city is 
not mentioned. Assurbanipal took it by storm in 66-4. but did 
not destroy it. Nebuchadnezzar besieged it for thirteen years 
(Jos. Ant. x. 11, 1), but as Ezekiel implies (29:17-20), he did 
not take its plunder. The city was taken by Alexander. B. C. 
332. and its people slain and sold into .slavery; but in eighteen 
years it was sufficiently repeopled and fortified to withstand 
Antigonus. In Jerome's day it was "an emporium for the com- 
merce of the whole world." Its fatal fall occurred in 1291 A. 
D.. when the Saracens expelled the entire population. Since then 
it has been only a miserable Arab village. 

The date of this oracle is uncertain, but the 

Date of ^.j me f si ia i mane zer's siege of Tyre is generally 

Prophecy. .•' . 

regarded as the most appropriate occasion m 

Isaiah's day; hut some have denied that Isaiah wrote it. because 
in v. 13 the Chaldeans are mentioned who did not attain supre- 
macy till the fall of Ninevah, 606 B. C. The Chaldeans, how- 
ever, were well known during the ministry of Isaiah. Their 
country was overrun; and the city of Babylon was entered by 
Sargon in 709, by Sennacherib in 703 and again in 696-5. The 
Hebrew text of v. 13 is probably corrupted by copyists, and the 
sense is very uncertain, making it a precarious ground of argu- 



MISCELLANEOUS ORACLES. 279 

merit for the date of this prophecy ; but the simplest meaning ap- 
pears to be that the Chaldeans are no more, having been over- 
thrown by the Assyrians, who have made their land a wilderness, 
and their fate is held up as a warning to the Tyrians, as that of 
No-Amon (Thebes) to the Ninevites (Nahum 3:8). The work of 
Sennacherib in Chaldea was so destructive that Isaiah in 701 
might readily refer to it when Tyre was being threatened by the 
same monarch ; and this is by no means an inappropriate time 
for this prediction. 

The ships sent out to Tarshish (Tartessus in 
Prophecy Spain), are told as they are returning by the 

people of Kittim (Cyprus), that their home city 
is destroyed, and they will find "no entering in" at their 
haven. All the nations of the Mediterranean coast with whom 
the Phoenicians traded are to "be still" with astonishment. 
Tyre had been a market for the grain of Shibor (Upper Nile) r 
and the Lower- Nile. But now comes a report from the sea, even 
from "the stronghold of the sea" herself (Tyre), that however 
many youths and maidens she had formerly borne, she is now as 
one that did not bear nor bring them up. Then arises the ques- 
tion, "Who has purposed this against Tyre?" The answer is, 
Jehovah has purposed it, to reduce the "pride of all glory, to 
bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth." So com- 
pletely has Jehovah shaken the kingdoms, that the inhabitant 
of Tarshish, formerly a resident of Tyre, might pass through the 
old homelands without restraint, and that the remaining dweller 
of Tyre will not even find rest by fleeing to Cyprus. Jehovah 
has appointed seventy years for Tyre to be a waste, after which, 
like a deserted woman, she may again attract the world's 
attention. 

Minute fulfilments are not to be expected in a 

Prophetic poetic message. The imagery is used, not to give 

details of coming history, but to heighten the 

effect of the warning and draw attention to Jehovah. Even the' 

seventy years of oblivion, v. 17, find no parallel in the history of 

Tyre, but help make the poetic picture in the prophecy moro 



280 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

vivid.* The main burden of the prophecy has been accomplished 
after long delay, and probably would have been verified immedi- 
ately if Tyre had firmly adhered to the policy upon which the 
utterance was based. It is almost certain that Tyre adopted a 
political attitude toward Assyria similar to that of Judah when 
Isaiah rebuked and warned the court of Hezekiah and other na- 
tions in 701; and besides this, Tyre was guilty of a long culti- 
vated, self-seeking', commercial spirit, which she constantly in- 
fused into her western colonies and other countries. Isaiah's 
chief desire is to see this sordidness and worldliness purged 
away, and the more philanthropic spirit of "them that dwell 
before Jehovah" prevail in the great emporium of the sea. 
Messianic While Isaiah preached against the commer- 

Optimism. cialism of Tyre, and indeed sought perfect 

philanthropy in all nations, his insight into 
human affairs was clear and optimistic enough to recognize the 
good that commerce may do even if it remains the mercenary 
"harlot" that it has always been. It seems strange that he should 
call Tyre by the opprobrious name, "harlot,'' and yet say that 
"her hire shall be holiness unto Jehovah;" but his real meaning 
is. that along with all the faults of her commercial spirit and in 
spite of all the evils of selfish exchange, the conduct of trade 
relations with the various nations will serve at last a good end in 
the progress of Jehovah's cause. It has turned out true that the 
spirit of Tyre alive today among the nations is a means of in- 
ternational acquaintance, the spread of civilization and the 
more convenient proclamation of Christian truth. Isaiah would 

*The reader will be interested in the words of Delitzsch (Comment- 
ary, Am. Ed. pp. 3S9, 390) respecting the seventy years and their sequel: 
"The reference to the seventy years is clear: the years are the seventy 
of the Chaldean dominion. And the real state of the case is, that the 
Tyre which rose again in the post-Chaldean period, and especially after 
its conquesl by Alexander the Great 333 B. C, was no longer a political 
power, hut <mly a great emporium. Even apart from thus, there were 
preludes in the" post-Chaldean period to what is foretold here. Such a 
prelude it was when Sidonians and Tyrians helped to build the temple 
in Jerusalem (Ezra iil. 7, cf. i. 4),' and when, soon after apostolic 
activity began, a Christian Church arose in Tyre (Acts xxi. 3 f.). In 
lliis was- the trade of Tyre passed into the service of the God of 
revclal ion. 






GENERAL JUDGMENT. 281 

not have commerce closed and ships dismantled, but would have 
them contribute to the advance of holiness and the service of 
Jehovah. Gradually the Christian age is bringing this to an ac- 
complishment. 

3. General Judgment. 

Chapters xxiv-xxvii of Isaiah form a single 
o?Date lnty piece of doom prophecy of a most remarkable 
literary character. The date is unknown, and 
the historical allusions are uncertain and conflicting. The men- 
tion of Assyria and Egypt (27:13) favors the time of Isaiah; 
and yet the allusion to exiles in the same verse seems to point to 
a much later date. The idolatry in Judah (27:9) seems early; 
but again the gathering of the children of Israel (27:12) seems 
late. Other critical materials are equally indecisive. Indeed, 
it seems clear that, although the writer had a historical situation 
in mind, he did not attempt to fit this production into that 
specific setting, but wrote for oppressed Israelites in general. 
The judgment here foretold is not fixed in any special season, 
but projected into the indefinite future. It is rather ideal and 
universal than definite and local. It is a culmination of all the 
doom prophecies and judgments hitherto pronounced, though 
it is not dependent upon them ; but it rather looks to the consum- 
mation of Jehovah's dealings with the nations and the final 
triumphs of His people. The interpretation of this prophecy 
is, therefore, independent of the time of its composition. 

In form this production is complex, partly 
prose, partly poetic; but some poetic features, 
especially parallelisms, appear even in the prose portions. Some 
scholars regard the whole piece as a poem. The structure admits 
of an alternation of doom and triumph throughout, and different 
voices seem to utter laments for the doomed and shouts and 
songs from Israel. In the following modernized form of this 
sacred drama ;m effort is made to exhibit these peculiarities more 
clearly than they appear in the ordinary Revised Text :* 

*For the form of this piece of literature, generous acknowledge- 
ments are due to Moulton's Literary Study of the Bible (see pp. 416- 
423). Prof. Moulton, however, in the opinion of the present writer, 



282 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

(Doom Prophecy.) 
Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, 
And maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, 
And scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 
And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; 
As with the servant, so with his master; 
As with the maid, so with her mistress; 
As with the buyer, so with the seller; 
As with the lender, so with the borrower; 

As with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 
The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; 
For the Lord hath spoken the word. 

The earth mourneth and fadeth away. 

The world languisheth and fadeth away, 

The lofty people of the earth do languish. 

The earth also is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; 

Because they have transgressed the laws, 

Violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. 

Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, 

And they that dwell therein are found guilty; 

Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, 

And few men are left. 

The new wine monrneth, the -\ ine languisheth, 

All the merry diearted do sigh. 

The mirth of tabrets eeaseth, 

The noise of them that rejoice endeth, 

The joy of the harp eeaseth. 

They shall not drink wine with a song; 

Strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. 

The city of confusion is broken down; 

Every house is shut up, that no man may come in. 

There is crying in the streets because of the wine; 

All joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. 

In the city is left desolation, 

And the gate is smitten with destruction. 

(Concerning Jehovah's people.) 

For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as 
the shaking of an olive tree, as the grape gleanings when the vintage 
is done These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout: 

For the Majesty of Jehovah! 
they cry aloud from the sea. 

obscures the important divisions of the prophecy by too minute an 
analysis; and lie seems to overlook the fact that a speaker often con- 
ceives things both as present and as future, and in the same paragraph 
utters visions and prediction which should not be separated. For many 
other points of difference, the interested reader will make comparison. 



GENERAL JUDGMENT. 283 

Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the East! 

Even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel in the Isles of the Seal 

(Voices of the doomed.) 
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: 
Glory to the righteous! 
But I said, I pine away, I pine away, woe is me! The treacherous 
dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt 
very treacherously. 

(Prophecy of doom.) 
Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon thee, inhabitant of earth. 
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the 
fear, shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst 
of the pit shall be taken in the snare. For the windows on high are 
opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is 
utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is shaken violently. 
The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to 
and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy 
in that day, that Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, 
and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered 
together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in 
prison; and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon 
shall be confounded and the sun ashamed. 

(Concerning Jehovah 's people.) 
For Jehovah of hosts will reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; 
and before his elders shall be glory. 

(Song of the elders.) 
Ch. 25. O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee; 
I will praise thy name; 
For thou hast done wonderful things, 
Even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth, 
For thou hast made of a city a heap, 
Of a fortified city a ruin, 
A palace of strangers to be no city; 
It shall never be built. 

Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; 
A city of terrible nations shall fear thee. 

For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, 

A stronghold to the needy in his distress, 

A refuge from the storm, 

A shade from the heat, 

When the blast of the terrible ones 

Is as a storm against the wall. 

As the heat in a dry place 

Shalt thou bring down the noise of strangers; 

As the heat by the shade of the cloud, 

The song of the terrible ones shall be brought low. 



284 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

(Prophecy.) 
And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples 
a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full 
of marrow of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in 
this mountain the face of the covering that covereth all peoples, and 
the veil that is spread over all nations. He hath swallowed up death 
forever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; 
and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: 
for Jehovah hath spoken it. 

(A song.) 

And it shall be said in that day, 
Lo, this is our God; 
We have waited for him, 
And he will save us. 

This is Jehovah; 

We have waited for him, we will be glad 

And rejoice in his salvation. 

(Prophecy of doom.) 
For in this mountain will the hand of Jehovah rest; and Moab shall 
be trodden down in his place, even as straw is trodden down in the water 
of the dunghill. And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst thereof, 
as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim; but Jehovah 
will lay low his pride together with the craft of his hands. And the 
high fortress of thy walls hath he brought down, laid low, and brought 
to the ground even to the dust. 

Ch. 26. (A song by Jehovah's people.) 

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: 

Salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks. 

Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation 

Which keepetli faith may enter in. 

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 

Whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. 

Trust ye in Jehovah forever; 

For in Jehovah, even Jehovah, is a rock of ages. 

For he hath brought down them that dwell on high, the lofty city 

He layeth it low, he layeth it low even to the ground; 

He bringeth it even to the dust. 

The foot shall tread it down; 

Even the feet of the poor, 

And the steps of the needy. 

The way of the just is uprightness: 

Thou thai :irt upright dust direct the path of the just. 

Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, 

Have we waited for thee; 

To thy name, even to thy memorial name. 

Is the desire of our soul. 



GENERAL JUDGMENT. 285 

With my soul have I desired thee in the night; 

Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: 

For when thy judgments are in the earth, 

The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 

Let favor be shown to the wicked, 

Yet will he not learn righteousness; 

In the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, 

And will not behold the majesty of Jehovah. 

(Prophecy of doom.) 
Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see 
thy zeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine 
adversaries. 

(Voices of the righteous.) 
Jehovah, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou hast also wrought 
all our works for us. O Jehovah our God, other lords besides thee have 
had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy 
name. They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they 
shall not rise. Therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made 
all remembrance of them to perish. Thou hast increased the nation, O 
Jehovah, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified; thou hast 
enlarged all the borders of the land. Jehovah, in trouble have they 
visited thee; they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon 
them. 

(Voices of the doomed.) 
Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her 
delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so we have been before 
thee, O Jehovah. We have been with child, we have been in pain, we 
have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliver- 
ance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world been born. 

(A voice from the righteous.) 
Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye 
that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth 
shall cast forth the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers 
and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself for a little moment, until 
the indignation be overpast. For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of 
his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the 
earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. 

Ch. 27. (Prophecy of doom.) 
In that day Jehovah with his hard and great and strong sword will 
punish leviathan the swift serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent;. 
and he will slay the monster that is in the sea. 

(Song by Jehovah's people.) 
In that day: 
A vineyard of wine, (sing ye unto it,) 



286 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

I Jehovah am its keeper; I will water it every moment: 
Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. 

Wrath is not in me: 

Would that briars and thorns were against me in battle! 

I would march upon them, I would burn them together. 

Or else let him take hold of my strength, 
r l hat he may make peace with me; 
Yea, let him make peace with me. 

In days to come shall Jacob take root; 

Israel shall blossom and bud; 

And they shall fill the face of the world with fruit. 

(Prophecy concerning Israel.) 
Hath he smitten them as he smote those that smote them? Or are 
they slain according to the slaughter of them that were slain by themf 
In measure, when thou sendest them away, thou dost contend with them; 
he hath removed them with his rough blast in the day of the east wind. 
Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be forgiven, and this is 
all the fruit to take away his sin; that he maketh all the stones of the 
altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, so that the Asherim and 
the sun-images shall rise no more. 

(Prophecy of doom.) 
Por the defeneed city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, 
like the wilderness. There shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie 
down, and consume the branches thereof. When the boughs thereof are 
withered, they shall be broken off; the women shall come, and set them 
on fire; for it is a people of no understanding; therefore he that made 
them will not have compassion upon them, and he that formed them will 
show them no favor. 

(Prophecy of Jehovah's people.) 
And it shall come to pass in that day that Jehovah will beat off his 
fruit from the flood of the river unto the brook of Egypt; and ye shall 
be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to 
pass in that day, that a great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall 
come that were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and they that 
were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship Jehovah in 
the holy mountain at Jerusalem." 

The darker side of this prophecy may be 

E?ement° m easily misunderstood. It does not mean that the 

prophets had no kindly wishes for the nations, 

or that the oppressions which Israel had suffered had made 

these writers vindictive, nor yet that Jehovah as a local God is 

simply to prevail over the other local gods; but rather that Je- 



GENERAL JUDGMENT. 287 

hovah by virtue of His universal power and dominion must ulti- 
mately overthrow all opposition. Since these nations were idola- 
trous, and stubbornly refused Jehovah's rule, just as in Ps. ii, 
they must be "trodden down" and "few men left." The lands, 
cities and other possessions, in this poetic form of the thought, 
must partake in the doom of the people, just as Paul represents 
the world as sharing the present weakness and final glory of men 
* «(Rom. 8:19-22). This acme of doom predictions signifies the des- 
tined overthrow of idolatry and the final defeat of tyranny and 
every other widespread evil. Toward this end all prophecy 
moves, and toward this accomplishment all Messianic efforts are 
directed. 

The oppressed condition of Israel at the time 
p he of this prediction leads the prophet to lay em- 

phasis on the triumphs of the poor over "them 
that dwell on high, the lofty city." Clearly Jehovah's people are 
regarded as the poor, and their fortune springs up over the 
pride, wealth and injustice of their oppressors. The situation 
was a typical one. In all later times the righteous have had a 
like struggle against the powers and arrogance of the world; 
and it is notable that in the esteem of impartial historians the 
victory has always tended toward the righteous oppressed. The 
principle that Jehovah favors and ultimately vindicates the up- 
right, that He is "a stronghold to the needy in his distress," is 
consistently maintained by prophets and apostles. 

Many expressions, such as, "0 Jehovah, thou 
The Personal art my ' God . j will exalt thee » << L o, this is our 

God; we have waited for Him," indicate the in- 
dividual interest in Jehovah and personal confidence in His 
care. This individual relationship to Jehovah was encouraged 
by exile and oppression, although the religion of Israel was 
generally national ; and yet this personal feature was in keeping 
with the divine intent. Jehovah was the God?of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob, and became a national God only in consequence 
of Israel's growth into a nation. Later by divine purpose He 
was to become distinctly the God of each individual, forming in- 
dividual covenants and writing His laws in individual hearts 



288 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

(Heb. viii). Thus Messianic ideas were strengthened by the 
experiences of Israel in these valleys of sorrow. 

Although the earth is to fall not to rise again 
»eiS ah ' S ( 24:2 °)' "Jehovah of hosts will reign in Mount 

Zion and in Jerusalem" (24:23). Here is a sug- 
gestive limitation of prophecy; for in the New Testament pre- 
dictions, a new heaven and a new earth are to follow the general 
judgment and destruction of the present world. This prophet 
says nothing of a new earth; but in his reconstruction of human 
affairs after the overthrow of sin, Jerusalem is to be the seat 
of divine government. This reign of Jehovah is distant, final 
and ideal in this prophecy; and, indeed, its very location in 
Zion signifies its identity with the Messianic rule already well 
anticipated in the days of this prophet. 

A great coronation festival will inaugurate 
Fe^°st ah,S Jehovah's reign at Jerusalem (25 :6, 7) . This is 

not for Judah alone, but for "all nations." It 
is intended to mark the end of sorrows and the beginning of 
joys. Jehovah will destroy "the face of the covering that cov- 
ereth all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations," 
which means that the veil of mourning over the cruelties of past 
tyranny and the devastations of judgment will be removed in 
the new gladness of the glorious dominion of God. The feast 
will consist of the richest of all blessings, the very "marrow" 
of delights, the refinement of citizen joys. Thus is pictured the 
rejoicing at the beginning of the final reign of Jehovah among 
men. Compare Matt. 8 :11 ; 22 :2 ff. ; Luke 14 :15 ff. 

In the joy of the feast is the announcement 

•£ he that Jehovah "has swallowed up death forever" 

Resurrection. 

(25:8). This means the final abolition of death 

and the introduction of the life eternal. This is perhaps the 

clearest expression of immortality in the Old Testament.* The 

*While the doctrine of immortality is implied in the translation of 
Enoch and Elijah and the resurrection of certain dead persons, it is 
remarkable that many trusted passages on the subject have rather a 
disappointing ambiguity. For example, Ps. 17:15, "I shall be satisfied 
when I awake in thy likeness," is translated in the R. V., "I shall bo 
satisfied, when I awake, with beholding thy form;" and it may be a 
]>r;ivr-r in peril (v. 13) at night, and express the confidence that God will 



THE DOOM OF EDOM. 289 

idea is repeated in 26:19, "Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies 
shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust ; for thy 
dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the 
dead." This thought has arisen naturally in this connection. 
The prophet reviews Israel's past, and recalls how their ranks 
were thinned by war and exile ; and though Jehovah has in- 
creased the nation (v. 15), its numbers are not commensurate 
with the glory to which it has attained. Where are its multi- 
tudes? Dead. How can they be recovered? Only by a resur- 
rection. The ideal glory can never be realized without the re- 
covery of the dead, who are to appear fresh as the dew of the 
morning ; and hence to the prophet the doctrine of the resurrec- 
tion is assured. This thought has been clearly reaffirmed byj 
Jesus (John 5:28-29) and by Paul (I. Cor. xv), and constitutes 
one of the leading Messianic doctrines. 

4. The Doom of Edom. 

There are three predictions of the fall of 

First Edom, of which the first (Isa. xxxiv) is con- 

Prophecy. 

nected with the judgment that is impending over 

the whole earth. The date of this prophecy is unknown. The 

style is poetic, and the essential portion (w. 1-10) may be thus 

arranged : 

"Come near, ye nations, to hear; 

And hearken, ye peoples: 

Let the earth hear, and the fulness thereof; 

The world, and all things that come forth from it. 

manifest Himself by deliverance at the waking hour of morn. For the 
contrary view, however, see Delitzsch Commentary. So, "God will 
redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for he will receive me" (Ps. 
49:15), may mean only that God will save from death. Likewise, "Thou 
shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory" 
(Ps. 73:24), may not include more than divine favor and reward in this 
life. Even Job 14:13-15 can be pressed to mean no more than a wish to 
hide in the grave, and find a vindication afterward. Job 19:25-27, "I 
know that my Eedeemer lives," etc., seems, as Oehler (O. T. Theol. p. 
565) strongly urges, to be rather a conclusion to which the sufferer was 
driven by his faith in God and his woes which appeared inexplicable in 
this life, than an oracle received by a prophet. The words of Dan. 12:2, 
3 are more definite, and imply, not only a resurrection of many, but the 
immortality of some that "shall shine as the stars forever." 



290 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

For Jehovah hath indignation against all nations, 
And wrath against all their host: 
He hath utterly destroyed them, 
He hath delivered them to the slaughter. 
Their slain also shall be cast out, 
And the stench of their dead bodies shall come up; 
And the mountains shall be melted with their blood. 
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, 
And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; 
And all their host shall fade away, 
As the leaf fadeth from off the vine, 
• As a fading leaf from the fig-tree. 

For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: 
Behold, it shall come down upon Edom, 
And upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 
The sword of Jehovah is filled with blood, 
It is made fat with fatness, 
"With the blood of lambs and goats, 
"With the fat of the kidneys of rams; 
For Jehovah hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, 
And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 
And the wild oxen shall come down with them, 
And the bullocks with the bulls; 
And their land shall be drunken with blood, 
And their dust made fat with fatness. 

For Jehovah hath a day of vengeance, 
A vear of recompense for the cause of Zion. 
And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, 
And the dust thereof into brimstone, 
And the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 
It shall not be quenched night nor day; 
The smoke thereof shall go up for ever; 
From generation to generation it shall lie waste; 
None shall pass through it for ever and ever." 

This is not a vindictive threat by an Israelite 
* ts against a neighboring nation that for genera- 

tions has been hostile and most provocative of a 
deep-seated hatred; but it is a necessary part of Jehovah's pur- 
pose to bring to nought all those nations that had a prominent 
share in afflicting Israel without just cause. In the very nature 
of Jehovah's work with Israel in behalf of the race, He could 
not justly do otherwise than protect His agents or avenge the 
wrongs which they suffered. The fact that Israel sinned against 
God, and deserved some of their misfortunes, did not lessen the 
guilt of those who trampled them down without regard to right. 



THE DOOM OF KDOM. 291 

Moreover, the final triumph of truth and fall of error demanded 
the overthrow of a people that for generations refused the light 
of revelation, and persisted in the perpetuation of every heath- 
enish barbarity. The fall of Edom was also to be a part of the 
ideal deliverance of the world from its vile infections by sin into 
its final glory. 

In connection with the judgment "all the host 
j he ^g^ 6113 of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens 
shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all their 
host shall fade away, as the leaf f adeth from off the vine, and as 
a fading leaf from the fig-tree" (v. 4). While this is a strong 
poetic figure, it is a part of the general prophecy of the final 
catastrophe that must overtake all material things and end the 
age of temporal affairs. The word "dissolve" represents a 
Hebrew term which is used of the wasting away of parts of a 
body by disease (Ps. 38:6; Zech. 14:12, et al.), as if the host 
of heaven, the stars, were infected by the pollutions on earth 
from the dead bodies consequent to the judgment. This figure 
is strong, but not more picturesque than the rolling of the 
heavens together as a scroll and the fading of the heavenly 
bodies as leaves plucked from a vine or fig-tree. In Matt. 24 :29, 
Jesus expresses a similar thought in the words, "The sun shall 
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the 
stars shall fall from heaven ; ' ' and the prophecy as enlarged by 
Peter is essentially the same: "The heavens that now are 
and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, 
being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of 
ungodly men," and "the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the 
earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 
3:7-10). In Isaiah the destruction is wrought by Jehovah's 
sword, in Peter by fire; but these are only different figures to 
mark the divine power over all nature to overthrow when the 
purposes of the world have been accomplished. 

The second utterance against Edom (Isa. 
Second 63:1-6) is presented in the form of a dialogue 

between the prophet and Jehovah as follows: 



292 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

(Prophet.) Who is this that cometh from Edom, 
With dyed garments from Bozrah? 
This that is glorious in his apparel, 
Marching in the greatness of his strength? 

(Jehovah.) I that speak in righteousness, 
That am mighty to save. 

(Prophet.) Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, 
And thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? 

(Jehovah.) I have trodden the winepress alone; 

And of the peoples there was no man with me; 

Yea, I trod them in mine anger, 

And trampled them in my wrath; 

And their life-blood is sprinkled upon my garments, 

And I have stained all my raiment. 

For the day of vengeance was in my heart, 

And the year of my redeemed is come. 

And I looked, and there was none to help; 

And I wondered that there was none to uphold: 

Therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; 

And my wrath, it upheld me. 

And I trod down the peoples in mine anger, 

And made them drunk in my wrath, 

And I poured out their life-blood on the earth." 

This dramatic representation is an impres- 
j^ . sive picture of the punishment to be visited by 

Jehovah upon the Edomites. Jehovah under the 
figure of a treader of grapes, comes from Bozrah, an Edomite 
city, reddened with the blood of his enemies, as a grape-treader 
is stained by the juice of the grapes. Edom has been trodden 
down by Jehovah in His fury; and since it is a matter of "ven- 
geance," it is on account of Edom's conspicuous cruelties to 
Israel, which formed only one class of her manifold iniquities. 
The "wonder" that there was none to assist in the execution serves 
to emphasize the strictly divine character of the fall of Edom. 
It must not be supposed that merely human forces effected the 
disaster, but that Jehovah's plans were being fulfilled. 

The third prophecy against Edom was given 

Prophecy ^y ^ e P r0 P ne t Obadiah, who predicted the fall 

of Edom and the rescue of Israel probably about 

the time when Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. 

The Edomites were especially merciless to the inhabitants of 



THE DOOM OF EDOM. 293 

Judah during that season of weakness and distress. Verses 15-21 
embrace the most significant portion of the prophecy. 

"For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: 

As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; 

Thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. 

For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, 

So shall all the nations drink continually; 

Yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, 

And shall be as though they had not been. 

But in Mount Zion there shall be those that escape, 

And it shall be holy; 

And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 

And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, 

And the house of Joseph a flame, 

And the house of Esau for stubble, 

And they shall burn among them and devour them; 

And there shall be none remaining to the house of Esau; 

For Jehovah hath spoken it. 

And they of the South shall possess the Mount of Esau, 

And they of the lowland and the Philistines; 

And they shall possess the field of Ephraim, 

And the field of Samaria; 

And Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 

And the captives of this host of the children of Israel 

That are among the Canaanites, shall possess even unto Zarephath; 

And the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, 

Shall possess the cities of the South. 

And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; 

And the kingdom shall be Jehovah's." 

Here again the destruction of Esau is a part 
g* s j. of the desolation of the earth, which the prophets 

often foresaw. Esau is only one of the peoples 
with whom Jehovah has an irreconcilable controversy, and with 
whom He will be an unsparing Vindicator of the innocent. 
The fall of Esau will mark the fortune of Israel. The future is 
described in terms suited to form a contrast with the misfor- 
tune through which the Jews were then passing. They were 
being dispossessed of all their lands; but they are sometime to 
possess, not only these ancestral tracts, but also Edom, Philistia, 
Samaria and part of Phoenicia. All this is but a picture in 
materialistic forms of the ideal future of Jehovah's people. 
Edom had no ideals, no visions of the future, no far off glory 
laid up in divine care and which no temporary disaster could 



294 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

thwart. The one nation, like its ancestor Esau, was "profane;" 
the other, like Jacob, had received a birthright approved of 
Jehovah and now greatly enriched with Messianic promises. 

Section II. Prophecies of the Sufferer. 

1. The Acceptable Offering. Psalm xl. 6-10. 

As the earlier verses of this Psalm indicate, 
th^w^t ° f *^ e autnor ^ as P asse d through a severe trial, has 
been brought up ' ' out of a horrible pit, out of the 
miry clay, ' ' and his feet set ' ' upon a rock. ' ' While some schol- 
ars hold that this was written by David, as the title suggests, 
others, comparing this pit and mire with that into which Jere- 
miah was cast (Jer. 38:6), and noting that the whole tone of the 
Psalm is suited rather to Jeremiah's experiences, insist that it 
belongs to the time of that prophet. The interpretation is suffi- 
ciently clear from the circumstances implied by the Avriter even 
if we cannot definitely determine the date of composition. The 
leading Messianic portion (w. 6-10) may be thus rendered: 

"Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in; 

(Mine ears hast thou opened) 

Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. 

Then said I, Lo, I am come; 

(In the roll of the book it is written of me) 

I delight to do thy will, O my God; 

Yea, thy law is within my heart. 

I have proclaimed glad* tidings of righteousness in the great assembly; 

Lo, I will not refrain my lips, 

Jehovah, thou knowest. 

1 have not hid thy righteousness .within my heart; 
I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; 
I have not concealed thy lovingkindness 

And thy truth from the great assembly." 

A personal experience is here depicted, not 

£ he . that of the nation or of the church, though there 

Experience. ... 

is good reason to believe that this is written for 

thase to appreciate who may with like resignation pass through 

similar misfortunes. Possibly "the pit" and the "mire" are 

figures based on such an event as that which befell Jeremiah ; 

but if the writer lived during the closing days of the monarchy, 



THE ACCEPTABLE OFFERING. 295 

there were doubtless many servants of Jehovah who suffered 
and escaped various tortures and distresses. 

The writer has had his ears "opened" by ex- 
Sacrifice perienee to learn that Jehovah desires an obedi- 
ent spirit rather than the offerings at the altar. 
The burnt-offerings were rejected by Jehovah, not because He 
wished to change the form of worship in Israel, but because 
these offerings were not accompanied by a faithful heart and a 
godly life; and our poet had learned the higher principle of 
presenting himself to God as the more acceptable sacrifice. It is 
the same truth as that taught by Samuel (1 Sam. 15:22): 
"Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices 
as in obeying the voice of Jehovah ? Behold, to obey is better than 
sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Sacrifices by- 
wicked people became abominable to Jehovah, so that prophets 
in this great moral extremity of the nation were sometimes 
forced to preach against sacrifices as if they were wrong, in 
order the more effectively to insist upon an obedient spirit. 

In Heb. 10:4-10, the writer teaches that the 

A eW lication ment sacrinces °^ tne altar cannot take away sin, but 
that the "body" of Jesus became a perfect and 
effectual offering. This passage in the Psalms is there quoted 
to emphasize the value of the voluntary, personal offering of the 
body of Christ above the sacrifice of beasts, and these words, 
"Lo, I am come to do thy will, God," are put into the mouth 
of Jesus. His offering was acceptable, because he was willing 
to obey. He presented himself to God, and in this one respect 
the Psalmist was a type of Christ. The words in the Psalm are 
not spoken directly of Jesus, and hence are not prediction; but 
the Psalmist was in the one point mentioned a representative,. 
ideal man, hence a necessary type of Christ. Any sufferer who 
thus yielded freely to the divine will was an image of the Christ, 
and his words of resignation would be applicable to the Savior's 
gift of life for man. Such types are not rare in the Old Testa- 
ment ; for although men might have many weaknesses, not a few 
must have arisen in one or more elements of character to that 
ideal manhood to which Jesus wonderfully rose in all points. 



296 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

It should be expected that man in the image of God might pre 
sent many transient and fragmentary images of that Word which 
was made flesh and dwelt among men. 

2. The Cry for Help. Psalms xl, 12-17, and Ixx. 

"For innumerable evils have compassed me about; 

Mine iniquities have overtaken me, 

So that I am not able to look up; 

They are more than the hairs of my head; 

And my heart hath failed me. 

Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me; 

Make haste to help me, O Jehovah. 

Let them be put to shame and confounded together 
That seek after my soul to destroy it; 
Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor 
That delight in my hurt. 

Let them be desolate by reason of their shame 
That say unto me, Aha, aha. 

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; 

Let such as love thy salvation say continually, 

Jehovah be magnified. 

But I am poor and needy; 

Yet the Lord thinketh upon me: 

Thou art my help and my deliverer; 

Make no tarrying, O my God." 

The latter part of Psalm xl and Psalm lxx 
are the same with slight variations. They rep- 
resent the sufferer as calling upon Jehovah for relief, and in- 
voking the divine judgment against persecutors. The impreca- 
tions of xl. 14, 15, certainly do not rise to the high level of Mes- 
sianic sentiment, but mark a stage in the progress of the people 
of God toward patient endurance and the love of enemies, the 
perfect culmination of which was reached in the teaching and 
example of Jesus of Nazareth. The writer pronounces his bene- 
diction on all who seek Jehovah, and bids those who love His 
salvation say continually, "Jehovah be magnified." This univer- 
sality of sympathy with those that worship God and this devotion 
of the sufferer to Him in whose name affliction is endured are the 
the ideal elements of the poem. 



JEHOVAH THE SUFFERER'S REFUGE. 297 

3. Jehovah the Sufferer's Refuge. Psalms Ixix and Ixxi. 

These two psalms exhibit the same conditions 
Psalms™ an( ^ re lig'i 011s ton e as Psalms xl and lxx. The 

leading thought appears in the following extract 
(lxxi. 1-5) : 

Let me never be put to shame. 

Deliver me in thy righteousness, and rescue me: 

Bow down thine ear unto me, and save me. 

Be thou to me a. rock of habitation, 

Whereunto I may continually resort: 

Thou hast given commandment to save me; 

For thou art my rock and my fortress. 

Kescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, 

Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 

For thou art my hope, Lord Jehovah: 

Thou art my trust from my youth." 

The writer's distress is brought on by "the 
Burden unrighteous and cruel man;" but from his 

youth he has trusted in Jehovah, and now trusts 
Him none the less in advanced years (v. 18). This is an ideal 
faith, and finds its perpetual parallel in the heroic trust of 
Christian martyrs. These psalms are not predictions, but rather 
reflections of exalted manliness under severe trial. They do not 
exhibit perfection, as the tone of the imprecations (lxix. 22-28) 
indicates ; but the interplay of human elements with those which 
have been prompted by the divine Spirit distinguished fallible 
man struggling up the heights from Him who is "by the right 
hand of God exalted." Men at best are but broken rays of that 
Light that shines with undimmed glory. It is He alone that 
sets the perfect pattern of faith in God; of which the faith of 
these psalmists is but a wavering foregleam. 

Section III. Prophecies of the Servant. 

A most remarkable series of prophetic utter- 
Time of ances are those which relate to the "Servant of 
These Jehovah" contained in Isaiah xl-lxvi. These 
rop ecies. chapters form a section of the book of Isaiah 
distinct from the chapters that precede them, and presuppose 
a different historical situation. The people for whom these 



298 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

chapters were written were exiles in Babylonia, and were ex- 
horted to prepare to return to the land of their fathers. Indeed, 
some of these chapters seem to be intended for Israel after their 
return. In no respect is the historical environment of the prophet 
Isaiah implied in these chapters, and this has led modern critics 
to believe that they were written by some prophet about 546 
B. C. and later. 

It is not the appropriate place in this work to 
Admitted* present the long and tedious argument that 

would be required to exhibit in fairness both 
sides of the critical questions of date and authorship of this 
section, and fortunately this is not necessary; for candid scholars 
even of the most conservative type admit the only fact that is 
important to the interpretation of the Messianic features of the 
prophecy, that, whoever the writer may have been, the message 
assumes the Babylonian Exile and the return of Israel, and is 
intended to meet the spiritual needs of Israel in those times. 
This fact is patent on the surface of the prophecy, and does not 
invite controversy. On the basis of this acknowledged setting 
of the prophecy, all its developments must be studied. 

A servant is not always a slave' or a hired 
Jehovah. man ' ^ or a SUD J ec t< or a visitor to a king, any 

person addressing God, especially a worshiper, 
is called a servant. Hence the people of God are His servants 
(Deut. 32:36), or the leaders of His people (I. Kings 8:32, 36), 
and notably the prophets (Amos 3 :7). The whole nation, because 
it was called to do a special work for Jehovah naturally be- 
came His servant ; and in the chapters about to be studied Israel 
is distinguished from other people under the special title "the 
Servant of Jehovah." It may be seen as the studies progress 
that this Servant gradually takes on more and more the character 
of an individual ; but that the nation at first is in the mind of the 
writer is clear from the following (41 : 8-10) : 

"But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of 
Abraham my friend, thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of 
the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said unto thee, Thou 
art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away; fear thou 
not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will 



PROPHECIES OF THE SERVANT. 299 

strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the 
right hand of my righteousness. " 

Here the names Israel and Jacob evidently 
Called ati ° n si g nif y th e nation; and it is manifest that by 

the "seed of Abraham" the nation as a whole 
is meant. The entire thought of the passage conforms to this 
idea. It was the nation that was called from the "ends of the 
earth ; ' ' and the choice of Abraham and the call of Israel out of 
Egypt constituted all the nation the special servant of Jehovah 
in the world. There was a great reason for saying I have "not 
cast thee away;" for when the national government of Israel 
had been overthrown, and the people had been scattered abroad 
in many lands, it certainly seemed that God had forsaken them. 
This prophecy is given with the very intent to make despondent 
Israel see that the choice made generations before looked toward 
a purpose which Jehovah has not abandoned. 

1. The Announcement of the Servant. Isa. xlii. 1-9. 

The first passage in which the work of the 
Text. ° Servant appears, may be thus presented in imi- 

tation of its original poetic structure: 
"Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; 
My chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: 
I have put my Spirit upon him; 
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 
He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, 
Nor cause it to be heard in the street. 
A bruised reed will he not break, 
And a dimly burning wick will he not quench: 
He will bring forth justice in truth. 
He will not fail nor be discouraged, 
Till he have set justice in the earth; 
And the Isles shall wait for his law. 

Thus saith God Jehovah, 
He that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; 
He that spread abroad the earth and that which eometh out of it; 
He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, 
And spirit to them that walk therein: 
I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, 
And will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, 
And give thee for a covenant of the people, 
For a light of the Gentiles; 
To open the blind eyes, 



300 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

To bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, 

And them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. 

I am Jehovah, that is my name; 

And my glory -will I not give to another, 

Neither my praise unto graven images. 

Behold, the former things are come to pass, 

And new things do I declare; 

Before they spring forth I tell you of them." 

The contrast between Israel in exile and Israel 
Contrast. ^ n tne ideal future is here set forth in various 

points. Over against the cry that has gone 
up from the afflicted people, stands the promise that his voice 
shall not be heard in the street; and this signifies, not only 
that the days of grief will be past, but also that the 
nation will not be demonstrative in its triumphs. Being called 
of God, the divine dignity will mark her future career. In the 
hands of cruel captors Israel has often been first bruised, and 
then mercilessly broken; but in her future dealings with fallen 
humanity she will not savagely snuff out the light of life that 
burns low in sorrow and in weakness. Many innocent people 
in Israel have suffered awful injustice at the hands of their 
foes, as if there were no law for the protection of the helpless; 
but this chosen nation will bring justice to the earth, and estab- 
lish a law which even the Grecian and Eoman coastlands will 
welcome. 

The Servant is to become a ' ' covenant of the 
Covenant people, a light of the Gentiles." This antici- 

pates a covenant relation between God and the 
nations that shall be mediated by Israel. In the nature of the 
case the mediation could go no further than a negotiation of the 
covenant and the shedding of the blood of the covenant. This 
is confessedly a very remarkable office for a nation to perform. 
It is even more remarkable that, while no other nation has done 
such a thing, Israel has proclaimed to all the world the covenant 
of salvation and provided the offering by whose blood the cov- 
enant is sealed. The prophet has not told us the details of this 
wonderful work; but that he rightly discerned the true office 
of the nation, cannot, in the light of later developments, be 
called in question. 



PROTECTION OF JEHOVAH'S SERVANT. 301 

The purpose of this covenant harmonizes 
p he with the human spirit which Israel was to mani- 

fest; for it is "to open the blind eyes, to bring 
out the prisoners from the dungeon." The Babylonians had 
often put out the eyes of their captives, and cast many of them 
into prison; but in striking contrast, Israel will secure a cov- 
enant with the peoples of the earth that will bring an era of 
kindness and mercy, looking toward the relief of the unfortunate 
and the release of those who are unjustly held in prison — in short 
an ideal, Messianic age. 

2. Protection of Jehovah's Servant. . Isa. xliii. 1-21 and 
xliv. 1-5. 

The disposition of Jehovah to guard and res- 
Passage. cue jjj g g e rvant i srae i j s expressed in two pas- 
sages in poetic form, the first of which may be 
thus arranged: 

But now thus saith Jehovah that created thee, O Jacob, 

And he that formed thee, O Israel; 

Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; 

I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. 

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; 

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: 

When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; 

Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 

For I am Jehovah thy God, 

The Holy One of Israel, thy Savior; 

I have given Egypt as thy ransom, 

Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead. 

Since thou hast been precious in my sight, 

And honorable, and I have loved thee; 

Therefore will I give men in thy stead, 

And peoples instead of thy life. 

Fear not; for I am with thee: 

I will bring thy seed from the east, 

And gather thee from the west; 

I will say to the north, Give up; 

And to the south, Keep not back: 

Bring my sons from far, 

And my daughters from the end of the earth; 

Every one that is called by my name, 

And whom I have created for my glory, 

Whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made. 



302 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, 

And the deaf that have ears. 

Let all the nations be gathered together, 

And let the peoples be assembled: 

Who among them can declare this, 

And shew us former things? 

Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; 

Or let them hear, and say, It is truth. 

Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, 

And my servant whom I have chosen; 

That ye may know and believe me, 

And understand that I am he: 

Before me there was no God formed, 

Neither shall there be after me. 

I, even I, am Jehovah; 

And besides me there is no savior. 

I have declared, and have saved, and have shewed; 

And there was no strange god among you: 

Therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God. 

Yea, since the day was I am he; 

And there is none that can deliver out of my hand: 

I will work, and who can hinder it? 

Thus saith Jehovah, your Eedeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 

For your sake I have sent to Babylon, 

And I will bring down all of them as fugitives, 

Even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing. 

I am Jehovah, your Holy One, 

The Creator of Israel, your King. 

Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, 

And a path in the mighty waters; 

Who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, 

The army and the mighty man 

(They lie down together, they shall not rise; 

They are extinct, they are quenched as a wick) : 

Kemember ye not the former things, 

Neither consider the things of old. 

Behold, I will do a new thing; 

Now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? 

I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, 

The beasts of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; 

Because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, 

To give drink to my people, my chosen, 

The people which I formed for myself, 

That they might set forth my praise. 

This poem strongly reflects the exilic condi- 

V?? *• tion of Israel for which it was written. The 

Situation. . _ 

nation is in danger of being overflowed as by 

rivers or consumed as by fire; it is in the hands of captors, so 



PROTECTION OF JEHOVAH'S SERVANT. 303 

that other nations are to be given for its ransom and release; 
its people are scattered, so that they must be gathered from 
every point of the compass and from the ends of the earth; and 
especially are they in Babylon, so that Jehovah must send an 
army thither and take the Babylonians captive before Israel 
can enjoy her final freedom. It is evident that this situation 
forms the mold in which this whole prophecy is east. 

The redemption mentioned in the opening of 
Redemption tno poem must be interpreted by the "ransom" 

in which other nations are given for Israel 
(v. 3). This is primarily, not a spiritual redemption, but na- 
tional, and refers to the intended return of Israel to her home- 
land and her consequent freedom from those who held her in 
captivity. Persia was sent to Babylon "to bring down" the 
Chaldeans, as promised here (v. 14), and to Persia the ransom 
was given. Israel was returned by this nation, and under Cam- 
byses were Egypt, Ethiopia and Seba brought under Persian 
power. But the divine intent here is not to foretell history, but 
to impress upon Israel Jehovah's valuation of His people in spite 
of their misfortunes. This will at once encourage the des- 
pondent, quicken faith and point the expectation of Israel to 
some future work under divine guidance. 

r^"' The "new thing" promised is to be so not- 

"N Th' " a ^ e tnat f° rmer things are to be forgotten 
(w. 18, 19) ; for a greater event than the cros- 
sing of the Red Sea shall occur. The vast wilderness that lies 
between Babylon and Palestine is to be no barrier to the re- 
turn of Israel, but the pathless sands shall become a highway, 
and the waterless waste shall be refreshed with rivers. This is 
not for the purpose of reclaiming worthless soil, but that Israel 
may be encouraged to believe in her return which now seems im- 
possible. Still, a higher ultimate end is sought; and the poem 
closes with this climax in the divine purpose, that "they might 
set forth my praise." Israel's highest office is to present to 
the world the greatness and goodness of God. 
The Second In a manner very similar to the above, Je- 

Passage. hovah addresses Israel in xliv. 1-5. 



304 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Yet now hear, O Jacob, my servant, 

And Israel whom I have chosen: 

Thus saith Jehovah that made thee, 

And formed thee from the womb, 

Who will help thee: 

Fear not, O Jacob my servant; 

And thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, 

And streams upon the dry ground; 

I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, 

And my blessing upon thine offspring: 

And they shall spring up among the grass, 

As willows by the watercourses. 

One shall say, I am Jehovah's; 

And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; 

And another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah, 

And surname himself by the name of Israel. 

Here again the blessings promised are put in a 

Fitness form suited to exiles in Babylonia. Water 

to Exiles. . * 

poured upon the thirsty and streams upon the 

dry ground were familiar types of favor in the hot, sandy plain 
where irrigating streams were indispensable. But temporal good 
will not exhaust Jehovah 's gracious purposes toward His people ; 
for He will pour out also His Spirit upon them,and in this manner 
qualify them for the office to which He has called them. This 
will be the highest qualification which they could have, since it 
will supply more than mere ability. It will inspire them with 
an irresistible impulse to do the divine will, and much more, 
will impart to them a richness of character which will make 
them eminent among the moral forces of the world. This will 
be a wonderful refreshing to them who are in a religious wild- 
erness and moral waste. 

Following such blessings will be a season of 
to Jehovah turning to Jehovah. Some will acknowledge 

that they are Jehovah's, others name themselves 
after Jehovah's Servant Jacob, and thus both Jehovah and His 
Servant receive recognition from men. This brings up the in- 
tended result of God's dealing with Israel, which was not for 
themselves alone, but also for all mankind. The conversion of 
the world to Jehovah consummates the great Messianic plan to- 
ward which all the temporary redemptions and blessings of the 
chosen people point forward. 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SERVANT'S CALLING. 305 

3. The Dignity of the Servant's Calling. Isa. xlix. 1-13. 

In a style very similar to that of preceding 
The Passage. passages, and with some repetition of thought, 
the prophet proclaims the call of the Servant 
and the dignity to which he shall be raised. The words are put 
into the Servant's mouth and addressed to distant peoples before 
whom Israel has suffered the deepest humiliations. The chief 
portion of this announcement is included in xlix. 1-13, which may 
be presented in the following form: 

Listen, O Isles, unto me; 

And hearken, ye peoples, from far: 

Jehovah hath called me from the womb; 

From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name: 

And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; 

In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me: 

And he hath made me a polished shaft; 

In his quiver hath he kept me close: 

And he said unto me, Thou art my servant; 

Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 

But I said, I have labored in vain, 

I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; 

Yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, 

And my recompense with my God. > 

And now saith Jehovah, 

That formed me from the womb to be his servant, 

To bring Jacob again to him, 

And that Israel be gathered unto him; 

(For I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, 

And my God is become my strength;) 

Yea, he saith, It is too light a thing 

That thou shouldest be my servant 

To raise up the tribes of Jacob, 

And to restore the preserved of Israel: 

I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, 

That thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. 

Thus saith Jehovah, the Eedeemer of Israel, 

And his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, 

To him whom the nation abhorreth, 

To a servant of rulers: 

Kings shall see and arise; 

Princes, and they shall worship; 

Because of Jehovah that is faithful, 

Even the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee. 



506 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Thus saith Jehovah, In an acceptable time have I answered thee, 

And in a day of salvation have I helped thee; 

And I will preserve thee, 

And give thee for a covenant of the people, 

To raise up the land, 

To make them inherit the desolate heritages; 

Saying to them that are bound, Go forth: 

To them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. 

They shall feed in the ways, 

And on all bare heights shall be their pasture. 

They shall not hunger nor thirst; 

Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: 

For he that hath mercy on them will lead them, 

Even by springs of water will he guide them. 

And 1 will make all my mountains a way, 

And my highways shall be exalted. 

Lo, these shall come from far; 

And, lo, these from the north and from the west; 

And these from the land of Sinnirn. 

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; 
And break forth into singing, O mountains: 
For Jehovah hath comforted his people, 
And will have compassion upon his afflicted. 



Israel's 



The important matter here is the call of the 
nent. Servant, who, as if he were a person, is se- 
lected by Jehovah before his birth. This is in- 
tended to assure Israel that Jehovah has from the very beginning 
of her existence claimed her as His own. He has made her His 
weapon of war; but the word "mouth" indicates that it is to 
be a struggle of ideas, a spiritual warfare. The war has not 
yet begun; for as in a quiver the weapon has been kept close. 
Israel deeply feels that she has thus far done nothing for Je- 
hovah, although she has passed through great labors, and spent 
her strength ; and hence she is discouraged. 

While Israel laments her failure to meet Je- 
The Exalted hovah's purposes, she has a lofty consolation, 
that her recompense is with her God, and that 
He is become her strength. She realizes that her exalted task 
is still before her, and therefore she yet stands in honor with 
her Lord. The task is double: (1) the lighter part, although 
she may esteem it a very important duty, is to raise up those 
tribes of Judah that now are prostrate in the worldwide cap- 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SERVANT'S CALLING. 307 

tivity and restore those to freedom which have not perished in 
the awful slaughter through which the people have passed; and 
(2) the far greater office will be to become the light and sal- 
vation of Jehovah for the whole Gentile world. This salvation 
is not the rescue of Judah from Persia ; for it is no temporal or 
national salvation; for the Gentiles did not need these. It can 
be only the result of that spiritual warfare unto which Israel is 
called, and is therefore a spiritual salvation. 

Nature of The nature of the salvation can be inferred 

the Salvation. from the fact that "kings shall see and arise; 
princes, and they shall worship, because of Jehovah that is 
faithful." The salvation consists in bringing men to worship 
Jehovah; for it is a salvation of the soul from the evils of 
idolatry and heathen corruptions. Kings and princes are men- 
tioned to indicate the power of Jehovah's Servant in contrast 
with the weakness and futility of all past efforts and the utter 
desperation of the present. This view of the salvation is con- 
firmed by the repetition of the "covenant" which Israel is to 
mediate (v. 8; and see above, xlii. 6), and by the general pro- 
phetic idea of the future relations of the Gentiles to Jehovah. 

The identity of the Servant in this part of 
Identity of t j ie p r0 phecy requires consideration. He is called 

the Servant. -r , , „x , 

Israel (v. 3), yet he speaks as a person, and 

assumes the office of raising up the tribes of Jacob and restor- 
ing the preserved of Israel as if he were not Israel. In this 
passage, (1) he cannot be a prophet; for he would not be 
addressed by the name Israel, nor would he have an office so 
extensive and notable as that ascribed to the Servant. (2) He 
.cannot be all Israel; for he is to restore the preserved of Israel 
and Jehovah promises to preserve him, that he may bring about 
the return of the people to their desolate heritages. (3) It seems 
better to understand that the Servant is Israel, but yet only the 
faithful portion of Israel, including those who will lead in the 
accomplishment of the work to which the nation has been called. 
The word Servant is a personification of the better portion of 
Israel, and is here represented as recognizing the national office 



308 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

as if he were an individual. * We notice that the word is here 
used in a narrower sense than in the previous passages; while 
at the same time his Messianic duties become more distinct and 
responsible. 

4. The Servant's Humiliation and Reward. Hi. 13 — liii. 21. 

The most notable poem regarding the Ser- 
Poem° table -vant, and at the same time one of the most re- 

- markable of all Messianic prophecies, is that 
contained in Isaiah lii. 13-liii. 12. It is composed of five strophes 
increasing in length as if to add strength to the growing thought. 
There are many artistic features in the original Hebrew which 
can never be produced in English. Some of these are rhythm, 
rhyme, the stress laid on pronouns, a peculiar wail in certain 
words for illness, and a deep woe hanging in certain heavy com- 
binations of vowels and consonants, which taken altogether make 
the Hebrew text remind us of the illimitable possibilities of an 
instrument of music in the hands of a master. We may quote the 
passage in the following form: 

Behold, my servant shall prosper, 

Shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 

Like as many were astonished at thee 

(His visage was so marred more than any man, 

And his form more than the sons of men), 

So shall he startle many nations; 

Kings shall shut their mouths at him: 

*A. R. Fausett, following many older commentators, interpreted the 
passage as the words of the Messiah spoken by anticipation. This is 
incompatible with verse eight, in which the Servant is "to raise up the 
land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages," which refers to the 
return of Israel to Palestine and the re-settlement of the desolate home- 
land. Efforts to spiritualize such statements so as to suit the Messiah 
are always insipid. Indeed, throughout verses 9-12 the divine 
prophecies can apply only to the rescue of the exiles from Babylonia, 
and can have no natural fitness to Jesus of Nazareth. On the other 
hand, all is clear and the passage amply Messianic if we understand 
that the prophet here impersonates Israel in the Exile anticipating her 
■ mission from Jehovah including in that mission the work of Christ. In 
such a forecast, Israel can speak of her call by Jehovah to His service, 
her very unprofitable work up to the present time, her future labors 
with the Gentiles, as well as also her return to Palestine with Jehovah's 
attending care. 



thc servant's humiliation and reward. 309 

For that which had not been told them shall they see; 
And that which they had not heard shall they understand. 

Who hath believed our message? 

And to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? 

For he grew up before him as a tender plant, 

And as a root out of a dry ground: 

He hath no form nor comeliness; 

And when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 

He was despised, and rejected of men; 

A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: 

And as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; 

And we esteemed him not. 

Surely he hath borne our griefs, 

And carried our sorrows; 

Yet we did esteem him stricken, 

Smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But he was wounded for our transgressions, 

He was bruised for our iniquities; 

The chastisement of our peace was upon him; 

And with his stripes we are healed. 

All we like sheep have gone astray; 

We have turned every one to his own way; 

And Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted 

He opened not his mouth; 

As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, 

And as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, 

So he opened not his mouth. 

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; 

And as for his generation, who among them considered 

That he was cut off out of the land of the living 

For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? 

And they made his grave with the wicked, 

And with a rich man is his death; 

Although he had done no violence, 

Neither was any deceit in his mouth. 

Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; 

He hath put him to grief: 

When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, 

He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, 

And the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. 

He shall see of the travail of his soul, 

And shall be satisfied: 

By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; 

And he shall bear their iniquities. 

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, 

And he shall divide the spoil with the strong; 

Because he poured out his soul unto death, 



310 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

And was numbered with the transgressors; 

Yet he bare the sin of many, 

And made intercession for the transgressors. 

This climax of prophecies concerning the Ser- 

Sufferer Ue vant * in the midst ° f exhortations to go forth 

from Babylon and rebuild the wastes of Judah, 
is singularly free from any local or temporal allusions. It deals 
only with the suffering Servant and those for whom he suffers. 
Even all the national elements heretofore connected with the Ser- 
vant disappear, and he is individualized and set forth in the 
foreground, the one object of astonishment and admiration. 
While the suffering suits exilic conditions, when afflictions must 
have been numerous and varied, there is really no hint that the 
Servant is a captive himself, or that he represents a captive 
people. Indeed, his sufferings rise above that of the nation, is 
more voluntary, ethical and purposeful. He is a redeemer, not 
even suffering with others, but for them; and his chastisement 
is not for his own sins, nor to secure his own benefit, but it is 
for their iniquities, and to gain their peace. The Servant is 
therefore unique, at once a vicarious victim and a conquering 
hero, to the exiles a future personality that strangely is ac- 
quainted with grief and exalted with prosperity, that pours out 
his soul in death and yet divides the spoil with the strong. 
Such a character commands our careful study. 

The exaltation of the Servant is made very em- 
His Exaltation. phatic (5 9 :13 ) by the use f three words in 

quick succession, ' ' exalted, " " lifted up ' ' and ' ' made very high ; ' ' 
by the prominent place of the statement at the opening of the 
poem ; and then by a reannouncement near the close, that he will 
receive "a portion with the great." The contrast between this 
exaltation of the Servant and his humiliation is bold and strik- 
ing, and at the very beginning sets the theme of the whole poem. 

*This poem is sometimes named "The Passional," following Polycarp. 
who called it "the golden passional of the Old Testament evangelist." 
Urwick esteemed it "the holy of holies of Old Testament prophecy — ■ 
that sacred chamber wherein are pictured and foretold the sufferings 
of Christ, and the glories which should follow." Servant of Jehovah, 
p. 65. 



THE SERVANT'S HUMILIATION AND REWARD. 311 

This contrast is more than interesting; it is startling. Nations 
and kings are astounded at what they had never before seen or 
heard, and they shut their mouths in dumb dismay. The 
dignity and universal publicity of this exaltation, not to say the 
international amazement which it excites, mark the person as a 
most extraordinary character. Such a person has appeared only 
in the Sufferer of Calvary whose exaltation to the heavens has 
become the marvel of the ages. 

"Who hath believed our message?" implies 

A Remarkable ^.at the announcement concerning the exalted 
Sufferer could hardly be believed ; and ' ' to whom 
hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?" hints that the ex- 
periences of the Sufferer were wrought out under the divine 
arm, the mysteries of whose work none had been able to pene- 
trate. It is a most notable personage whose work is directed by 
Jehovah, and concerning whom no man knew what the hand of 
God was working out. He is above the ordinary man, and his life 
much more significant than that which is common to human 
beings. 

The reason that Jehovah's work in the Servant 

Greatness was unseen, is the fact that he grew up in ob- 

Ooscuritv scurity and deformity, so that he was unnoticed. 

Like a "tender plant" or shoot that springs up 
disregarded while great trees attract the eye, or like one of those 
succulent roots in a desert that remain filled with fluid while 
everything about it is parched, so he grows up amid unfavorable 
conditions, out of the arid soil of a sinful race, from the midst 
of a people from whom nothing was expected, hence hidden from 
the world's observation. How fine a parallel is this to the obscur- 
ity of One of whom it was said, ' ' Can any good thing come out 
of Nazareth?" and "Is not this the carpenter's son?" It is the 
glory and hope of our race that out of such obscurities and 
humilities such grandeur and greatness should arise. 

He is not only the great Unknown ; he is not 

■Q is . even prepossessing when he appears. He does 

not come with a form or comeliness that is com- 
parable with his merits. This does not mean that the Servant. 



312 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

is to be grossly deformed and repulsive in natural appearance; 
for that would not allow for that reasonable grace and majesty 
which necessarily attends a high degree of moral excellence. Yet 
he is not to make outward manifestation, as if his superiority 
were of the world ; but rather his glory was the gleam of divinity 
shining through his humility, the halo of a holy character. It 
is truly suggestive of divine wisdom that the personal appear- 
ance of Jesus remains to the church unpictured and undefined, 
so that each artist, and indeed each soul, may give him the form 
of his own ideal, that only the excellence of his character be 
impressed on every mind. He is not intended to present a model 
figure, but ideal manhood, to man. 

The repulsiveness of the Servant is due to his 
?^ef being "a man of sorrows and acquainted with 

grief." This is not accidental, as if it merely 
happened that he suffered mistreatment as Israel endured in 
in exile ; but it is divinely intended to reveal to men the ideal 
man, ready to undergo sorrows and bear burdens, not for himself 
alone, but especially for others; and more than this, to reveal 
to us our own impatient and unsympathetic hearts in the pres- 
eirce of suffering and grief. It is when we see Him, the greatest 
of us all, voluntarily stricken with agonies, that we learn to love 
a sufferer and have some patience with his misfortune. In Him 
sorrows are consecrated and glorified till we condemn our former 
repugnance and coldness of heart, are attracted toward the weak 
and distressed, and finally like Him offer our passions and 
lives in their behalf. Such a power for good to humanity have 
Gethsemane and Calvary proved to be. 

This prophecy is a distinct contribution to the 
T ? e s P ff 0l>lem study of suffering, and presents a lofty solution 

of the problem. Men have regarded suffering 
in different ways: (1) Some have thought it inexplicable, as 
when the innocent seem to suffer as greatly as the guilty, the 
rich as the poor, and the high as the low ; hence Job refused the 
solutions brought by his friends. (2) Some think it the ma- 
chinery of nature, without moral bearings, except in special 
cases. (3) Many deem it always a penalty for the sins of the 



THE SERVANT'S HUMILIATION "AND REWARD. 313 

sufferer, a rod of chastisement held over a sinful race, and 
instituted in view of the fall of man, to mete out to him the due 
measures of justice. (4) Others regard it as a warning to fol- 
low the necessary laws of our existence, physical and moral, and 
therefore corrective and reformatory. (5) The prophet in this 
passage points to the highest ends of suffering when he exhibits 
its vicarious and redemptive character. 

The value of suffering reaches a climax in its 
of VaTu? redemptive work. The sufferer is farthest re- 

moved from selfishness when he offers himself, 
free and innocent, to endure sorrows for the sins of those who 
are guilty and deserve the strokes of punishment. In this act 
he is manifesting the most generous and most sacred impulses 
of love ; for in its sympathy and condescension it represents the 
divine character. Also such vicarious suffering reaches the 
conscience of the beneficiary, saves him from a reckless disregard 
of himself which leads to despair, and incites a love and gratitude 
in return that ennobles the soul and lays foundations for reform 
and future loyalty. The thought that another has suffered for 
my sins exalts my idea of others, makes me hate my sins, and 
impels me to imitate and serve another more noble and Godlike 
than myself. Such a moral uplift of heart and life is Messianic. 



A remarkable stress is here laid on the words 
:oke c i T 

for All. 



"we," "our" and "us" over against "he" and 






"him." Evidently "he "is the Servant; hut who 
are " we ? " In verse 8, the words ' ' my people ' ' refer to the same 
ones as ' l we, ' ' and seem to mean Israel ; and yet so universal are 
the conditions and so broad the confession, "All we like sheep 
have gone astray, ' ' that we can hardly doubt that the prophet is 
speaking for us all. * This is confirmed by the universality of the 
Servant's ministry in 49:6, "It is too light a thing that thou 
shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to 
restore the preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a light 

*Professor Moulton, in Modern Beaders' Bible, presents the whole 
of chapter liii as the "chorus of nations" following Jehovah's intro- 
duction of His Servant in lii. 13-15. 



A Persuasive 
Announcement. 



.}14 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end 
of the earth." 

The use of the pronouns sets the work of the 
Servant in a rare and mellow light that has made 
this prophecy very precious to all the world. 
The speaker includes himself among those for whom the Servant 
is bruised, and freely acknowledges the sins of them all. In this 
way the announcement of the work of the Servant is also a 
confession of the sins of the people; and thus also his suffering 
is made to spring rather out of the human conscience in its 
need of a redeemer than from the outside divine source. While 
in fact redemption originates with God unsought by man, there 
is a peculiar persuasion in the form of the announcement here 
made ; since it brings man, and especially Israel in the Exile, to 
feel the need of divine help and to have a deeper sense of that 
sinfulness which must be felt before it can be cured. So perfectly 
Messianic is the attitude toward sin, that this prophecy reads like 
strictly Christian literature. 

While the announcement seems here to spring 

Parties* ° f from the conscience of man > after a11 it is Je- 

hovah that has "laid on him the iniquity of us 
all." The whole utterance carries with it the assumption that 
Jehovah is the real author of the sacrifice, and that man did not 
understand it till expounded in these confessions of the prophet 
for his people. Still, man's part in inflicting the wounds is not 
to be overlooked. He is "rejected of men," and "they made his 
grave with the wicked;" yet they did not consider that he was 
cut off for the transgression of the people. Besides this, the 
Servant himself has a voluntary part ; for " as a sheep that before 
its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth," which implies 
that he chose silent submission, and this is confirmed by the 
words, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be 
satisfied." Jehovah and his Servant consent together to the suf- 
fering for man, who does not at the time understand it; and 
thus it is implied that the Servant is within the inner counsels of 
God as his human slayers are not. How perfectly the prophet 
here forecasts the relations of the Messiah to men and to God ! 



THE SERVANT'S HUMILIATION AND REWARD. 315 

It is not accidental nor arbitrary that "lie 
Sacrifice tMy opened not his mouth;" for a protest would 
disqualify the Servant from doing the vital 
work assigned to him. It is often urged as an objection against 
the principle of a vicarious atonement that it is unjust, that 
God cannot righteously lay on another the iniquity of any per- 
son, and hence that each must suffer for himself. This would 
have force if the substitute protested ; but it is not unjust for the 
sufferer to make himself an offering for others if he wishes. I 
may voluntarily pay off my friend's debt, and release him from 
obligation; but it would be unjust for the court to compel me 
against my will to pay the debt. If the Servant "opens not 
his mouth" against his affliction, and seeing the travail of his 
soul, is "satisfied," the thought of injustice is excluded. 

The meaning of the words, "by oppression and 
A Doubtful judgment he was taken away," is uncertain. 

( 1 ) Some translate : ' ' Without hindrance and 
without right he was taken away; " but "hindrance" is a very 
doubtful rendering of the original word. The sense that he was 
slain without any effort to save him, and that this was done 
wrongfully, is in harmony with the current thought of the pas- 
sage. (2) The Revised Version in the text has, "By oppression 
and judgment he was taken away," which means that by wrong, 
and yet by judicial proceeding, he was put to death. This also 
fairly well fits the context. (3) The R. V. margin gives, "From 
oppression and judgment he was taken away," which means 
that by death he was released from his tormentors, or that God 
took him out of their hands showing His reversal of their de- 
cision against him. While the third view presents a very strong 
and inviting idea, perhaps the second is in most perfect accord 
with the thought of the strophe. 

The injustice and ignominy of the tragedy in 

?momin7 ant,S whi ° h the ,Servant is P ut to death are made em - 

phatic. "He had done no violence, neither was 

any deceit in his mouth," implies that he had done nothing 

worthy of death by either word or deed. Such wrongs may have 

been frequent in the Orient, and especially in the Exile, and the 



316 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

sympathy of the exiles for the Servant was easily enlisted by 
this circumstance. They also appreciated the meaning of a 
"grave with the wicked and the rich." The rich in Babylonia 
were wicked idolators, with whom it was a disgrace for an 
Israelite to be buried ; and thus the Servant is to die and be buried 
in dishonor. "We are not at liberty to refer to the burial of 
Jesus in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea (Matt. 27 : 57), which 
was no discredit ; but we may cite as the parallel to this prophecy 
the death of Jesus as a criminal, executed between two robbers, 
and the cross to which shame always deeply attached. 

That "it pleased Jehovah to bruise him," is 

o^jSovah™ not said t0 conve y the idea that Jehovah delights 
in torture, or that He is appeased like heathen 
gods with agonies and bloody offerings, which is contrary to the 
teaching of prophets and apostles in every age of biblical lit- 
erature ; but it means that this gift of life is designed to ac- 
complish the high ends of infinite love for man, to redeem the 
lost and helpless, and that in a way which would commend Jeho- 
vah most to the hearts of men through all time. 
Special There are special reasons why this sacrifice 

Reasons. should be pleasing to Jehovah: (1) The victim 

is innocent ; and since he does not deserve death for his own sin, 
he may offer his life for others. (2) The Servant makes a 
voluntary offering, knowing its purpose, and devoting himself 
to that end out of unselfish love ; and hence he is not, as the ox 
Avhich dies at the altar, without moral worth and with no out- 
pour of love with the life. (3) He is deemed sufficient to atone for 
sin, and here the exaltation of the Servant prepares us to ap- 
preciate his work: for if he were no more than an ox or lamb, 
the sense of mankind could never rest in the belief that he made 
an atonement worthy of respect. It may be a question whether, 
if he were only a man, however innocent, his death could ever 
be regarded by the most thoughtful of men as in any sense prop- 
erly offsetting the sins of all generations. His exaltation and work 
here hint to us that he may be more than human. (4) He becomes 
the only adequate expression of divine love reaching down to 
lift up fallen man of which we can conceive; for even a man's 
love will sometimes prompt a sacrifice of life, and God commends 



THE SERVANT'S HUMILIATION AND REWARD. 317 

His supreme love by His supreme offering, and that means the 
deepest sorrow and greatest loss in keeping with His divine char- 
acter. Our highest conception of divine sacrifice is here depicted, 
and there is no other prophetic utterance in which we read in 
clearer light the matchless character of our God. Certainly noth- 
ing of all this is lacking in the death of Christ as set forth in the 
New Testament. 

We may not regard the vicarious gift as neces- 
Meaning sarily an unconditional benefit to all men, so that 

Gifti it becomes such an absolute substitution as that 

men are absolved from guilt, even while 
they remain in rebellion to Jehovah, which would be a moral 
absurdity; and indeed the prophet predicts no more than that 
he will "justify many." We should note that here the death 
is not mere martyrdom, not merely a miscarriage of justice; 
neither is it simply an appeal to human sympathy, as if God 
were making a show of love only to draw out the love of men. 
It is far more than any or all of these. He "makes his soul an 
offering for sin ; " " the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; 
and with his stripes we are healed." There is nothing short of 
a vicarious atonement in this, a lifting of the load of guilt upon 
bruised shoulders, a crushing of the heart of the Servant, that 
our sin-sickened souls may find healing. This is the idea of the 
Messiah, "to give his life a ransom for many." Matt. 20 :28. 

The resurrection of the Servant from the dead 

A Future is not distinctly affirmed, but seems to be clearly 

Llfe - implied. He "poured out his soul unto death; 

and yet "he shall see his seed, he shall prolong 

his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand." 

Although "cut off," he is to have a posterity, which we must 

regard a "spiritual seed," like that of Abraham (Rom. 4:14-16; 

Gal. 3:7, 29). His days are prolonged indefinitely, as if an 

unlimited future opened up before him; and the announcement 

that he is to "divide the spoil with the strong," indicates that 

it is to be a most honored and victorious future. Our risen 

Messiah does not more than fulfil the wondrous reach of this 

prediction. 



318 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

After the above survey of the character and 
Servant? work of the Servant, it is important to inquire, 

Who is this Servant ? Since the Servant has al- 
ready in previous passages been called Israel, it is probable that 
the early Jew supposed that this poem also related to the nation; 
and this seems the more likely from the interpolation of the name 
"Israel" in 42:1 in the LXX. Also the context before and 
after this passage appears to refer to the nation, while the main 
task of the prophet in this part of his work is to encourage his 
people with a great national hope. Besides this, it is not an 
individual, but the nation which the prophets usually represent 
as a sufferer, while the prophetic individual is usually a king and 
a conqueror. On the other hand, (1) we note that prophecy 
drifts from the royal nation to the royal person, from the priestly 
nation to the priestly person, and so it may proceed from the 
suffering nation to the suffering person. (2) If the Servant be 
the nation, those for whom he suffers must be the Gentile world, 
which does not suit the pronoun "we" nor the expression "my 
people." (3) The nation does not die nor rise from the dead; 
for the exilic death and resurrection (Ezek. 37 :1-12; Hos. 13 :14) 
did not "justify many," as this prophecy assumes. (4) The 
nation could not attain to the office described in this prediction, 
which is personal throughout. (5) The nation could not be 
persuaded to endure such agonies without protest, nor was it at 
any time free from violence and deceit. The present passage, 
therefore, must have a personal element, that was partly devel- 
oped in former predictions of the Servant. 

Some hold that only the faithful portion of 

The Nation i sra el is meant, but most of the arguments just 
Interested. . ' . . ° 

given apply against this view also. There is an 

individuality in this description that neither the nation nor any 
nucleus of the nation could be reasonablysupposedbytheprophet 
to fulfil. Ultimately the prophecy must rest on a person, and 
any other interpretation must prove unable to shake off its weak- 
ness and embarrassments. But this does not mean that the na- 
tion is an uninterested party to the prophecy; for it is here 
given evidently for the encouragement and discipline of Israel. 



THE SERVANT'S HUMILIATION AND REWARD. 319 

The Servant is unquestionably connected with Israel, and is 
■destined to accomplish national service in behalf of the race; 
and the intimate relation of the Servant prophecies with each 
other more than suggests that in his exaltation the nation is to 
secure triumph and final glory. 

If the Servant is to consummate Israel's high 

Represented ends under Jehovah's direction, it follows that 
the Servant must in some way represent the na- 
tion, indeed, must be one of the nation, assuming the task ap- 
pointed to him by Jehovah. His work may be for Israel and 
at the same time for the Gentiles. Some (e. g., Skinner, Com. on 
Isaiah) suppose him to be the "ideal Israel," "a personification 
of Israel as it exists in the mind and purpose of God;" but an 
ideal nation is not a person, as the Servant becomes in this pass- 
age. While the Servant in chapters xlii and xliii is the nation, 
and in xlix the spiritual part of Israel, here Jehovah's work is 
laid on an individual, who is of the nation, operating for the na- 
tion and fulfilling the highest functions of the nation in the 
world. Such a person in Hebrew thought can be no other than 
the son of David, the Prince of Peace. 

The Messiah ^^ e ^ ew ^ sn ra bkis in the earlier times, and 

many even since the Christian period began, 
when not confronted with the Christian argument for the Mes- 
siahship of Jesus based on the passage, have regarded this proph- 
ecy as Messianic. Since the purpose of Jehovah has been made 
more plain by its development in Christ, believers in his divine 
mission have held in all confidence that the prophecy could relate 
to no other person.* Almost all of it describes closing scenes in 
the life of Christ and his exaltation. It covers the deepest 
spring of divine help for man, the principle of unselfish sacrifice 
of life for those who are loved and lost, a principle that was 

*George Eawlinson gives the following history: "The Messianic 
interpretation of the chapter was universally acknowledged by the Jews 
until the time of Aben Ezra (about 1150 A. D.). It was also assumed ae 
indisputable by the Christian Fathers. Almost all Christian expositors 
down to the commencement of the nineteenth century took the same 
view. It was only under the pressure of Christian controversy that the 
later Jews abandoned the traditional interpretation, and applied the 
prophecy (1) to Jeremiah; (2) to Josiah; (3) to the people of Israel. 
In the present century a certain number of commentators have adopted 



320 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

least understood when Jesus died, one farthest removed from 
natural expectation, and yet most essentially related to the 
divine government. It can be no accident that the prophet has 
here touched the most vital and most hidden truth in the whole 
Christian economy. 

Section IV. Prophecies of Reformation. 
1. The Free Invitation. Isa, Iv. 

It is remarkable that after the great message in 
wit^the 11 chapters lii and liii, nothing more is said in the 
Servant. book of Isaiah concerning the "Servant of Je- 

hovah. ' ' In that poem the depth of his humilia- 
tion and the height of his exaltation were touched, and the 
prophet pauses, since with so profound a theme he can advance 
no farther. The following chapters, therefore, seem to relate 
to a different subject; and yet the author has not left his work 
without a thread of connection. In closing chapter liv, he 
says, "This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah;" and 
thus quietly he passes from the Servant to the "servants," who 
are the ' c seed ' ' whom the Servant saw, and for whom he endured 
the travail of his soul and was satisfied. These are now the 
objects of his prophetic attention, and to these the following 
invitation is extended : 

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, 
And he that hath no money; 
Come ye, buy, and eat; 

Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without pries. 
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? 
And your labor for that which satisfieth not? 
Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, 
And let your soul delight itself in fatness. 

Incline your ear, and come unto me; 
Hear, and your soul shall live; 

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 
Even the sure mercies of David. 

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, 
A leader and commander to the peoples. 

one or other of the late Jewish theories, either absolutely or with modi- 
fications ***** The Messianic interpretation is maintained among 
moderns, by Hengstenberg, Keil, Umbreit, Oehler, Delitzsch, Kay, Cheyne, 
Henderson, Alexander, Urwick, and others." 



THE FREE INVITATION. 32IL 

Behold, thou sHalt call a nation that thou knowest not; 
And a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee, 
Because of Jehovah, thy God, 
And for the Holy One of Israel; 
For he hath glorified thee. 

Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; 
Call ye upon him while he is near; 
Let the wicked forsake his way, 
And the unrighteous man his thoughts; 
And let him return unto Jehovah, 
And he will have mercy upon him; 
And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

Neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. 

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

So are my ways higher than your ways, 

And my thoughts than your thoughts. 

For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, 

And returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, 

And maketh it bring forth and bud, 

And giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: 

It shall not return unto me void, 

But it shall accomplish that which I please, 

And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

For ye shall go out with joy, 
The mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing ; 
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree; 
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree. 
And it shall be to Jehovah for a name, 
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. — Isa. \v. 



This prophecy is evidently intended to supply 
t U1 tne hope an( * com ^ ort to tne exiles in Babylonia ; for 

Captivity. tne y ' ' sna U g° out with joy, and be led forth with 

peace. ' ' The invitation, whatever may be its ulti- 
mate significance, since it is addressed to those that thirst and 
labor without satisfaction, is adapted to attract the attention 
of the Hebrew toilers on the heated plains of Mesopotamia. 
The promised covenant also is suited to offer a new prospect 



322 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

to a people who for years have been deprived of covenant rela- 
tion with the God of their fathers. Besides this, the assurance 
here given that the word of Jehovah will not become void nor 
fail of its accomplishment, is adapted to the struggling faith 
of the exiles who had in some measure cast upon Jehovah the 
blame for their captivity. This prophecy must therefore be 
studied in the setting of exilic conditions. 

The invitation to come to the waters and to buy 
The 

Invitation wme anc * m1 ^ without money and without price 

evidently means more than merely a call to ma- 
terial blessings ; and this is the more certain because of the refer- 
ence in the final verse of the preceding chapter to the "heritage 
of the servants of Jehovah and their righteousness," which Je- 
hovah says proceeds from Him. This implies that Jehovah is 
prepared to meet a thirsting and hungering after righteousness, 
and that this is the free blessing which no money can buy. 
Especial emphasis is laid upon the value of this divine gift by 
contrasting it with the unsatisfying results of the hard labor in 
which the people are engaged. 

An everlasting covenant is proposed by Jeho- 

^Cove^In r t aStinS vah to take the P lace of that com P act with their 
ancestors at Mount Sinai, which had been broken 

by the faithlessness of the nation. The new covenant will not be 
made with the nation, so that it may perish by some national de- 
fection or disaster; but it will be made with the individual. 
"Every one that thirsteth" may drink these waters of covenantal 
grace. Neither will this covenant look back to the deliverance from 
Egypt, nor to the giving of the law on Sinai ; but it will be based 
upon the "sure mercies of David" by which Jehovah promised 
unconditionally that the throne and kingdom should endure for- 
ever. Built upon such an imperishable foundation, it can never 
fail by the delinquency of some leader or the downfall of an un- 
faithful state. 

As a part of this covenant, Jehovah announces 
D * Tid that he has made David "for a witness to the 

Witness. people ; ' ' which means that Jehovah has deter- 

mined that His faithfulness to David shall be a 



THE FREE INVITATION. 323 

testimony to those who enter into this covenant that through 
them Jehovah is accomplishing His long-cherished and unchange- 
able purpose to maintain among men a kingdom that cannot be 
overthrown. Such a testimony cannot be given by that king 
David who succeeded Saul on the throne of the kingdom of 
Israel and who has been dead nearly half a millennium when 
this prophecy is announced to the exiles; but that David is to 
be projected into the future and reappear in the person of the 
Messiah, and in him by the fulfilment of every word spoken by 
Jehovah to the great ancestor will unquestioned testimony be 
given. 

It is a part of this same determination in the 
The David mind of Jehovah to make David a "prince and 

Prophecy. commander to the peoples." Some interpreters 

hold that the perfect tense of the verb in the 
Hebrew text of verse 4 implies that the David here mentioned is 
the historic king of the past, and that the prediction begins with 
the next verse where future verbs are used; but this argument 
is fully offset by the probability that the perfect tense denotes 
merely the divine purpose already formed concerning the leader 
and commander, and that the future tenses appropriately refer 
to certain results that are later to be manifested. The covenant 
loses a large degree of its strength and value if simply the his- 
toric David be understood ; for the fact that he has been a leader 
and commander could be of little importance in framing a cove- 
nant which is to extend to the distant future. On the other 
hand, if we regard the name David here as not only including 
the king of former years, but also his royal posterity culminating 
in the Messiah, the entire promise here becomes intelligible and 
attractive. Jehovah will surely execute His promise to perpetu- 
ate David on the throne, to establish for him a kingdom ; and He 
now proposes to the exiles that on the basis of this promise to 
David, He will make them sharers of that everlasting dominion. 
Indeed, these people are not merely to partake of the blessings of 
the covenant with David, and thus simply enjoy certain benefits 
of David's unending reign, but they are to enter into his cove- 
nant, to become identified with him in the royal honors which 



324 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

he shall never forfeit* It is only as men have part in the Mes- 
sianic covenant, and come into Christ, that they become heirs of 
Davidic glories and secure that unfading crown which was prom- 
ised only to his household. 

As a consequence of this covenant, Jehovah 
Tne Leadtr promises that some personage whom he addresses 
Commander. Dv the significant "thou" shall call a nation 
hitherto unknown, and that a nation which hith- 
erto knew him not shall run unto him, because of Jehovah, the 
Holy One of Israel. The persons to whom the covenant is offered 
are addressed throughout this prophecy by the plural "ye" both 
before and after this remarkable apostrophe. Since it is David 
who is to be a "leader and commander to the peoples," it can 
in all reason be no other than he who shall call an unknown 
nation and to whom a nation now foreign shall be attracted ; but 
since this David is here regarded as projected into the indefinite 
future, it can be only the Davidic Messiah that shall invite the 
Gentile world to partake with himself in the "sure mercies" 
vouchsafed by Jehovah. 

The terms of this covenant are very simple, 
the Covenant ^ ut distinctly announced in this prophecy. Those 
who will form this covenant with Jehovah must 
seek Him while He may be found, and call upon Him while He ii 
near. Besides this, the wicked must forsake his way, and the 
unrighteous man his thoughts. From this it is clear that he 
must become a devout worshipper of Jehovah, and must by re- 
pentance, put away the sinful deeds and unholy thoughts of his 
past life. Thus by a double change of heart, a detachment from 
the evil deeds and thoughts of the world and an attachment to 
the God of righteousness and mercy, the man of a wayward life, 
even though he be a stranger to the faith of the Hebrews, shall 
enter with them into the perpetual covenant and pardoning 
mercies of Jehovah. The necessity for this repentance lies in 

*This identification of persons from without a family with the 
household is not foreign to Hebrew thought; for thus those who were 
bought by Abraham's money became a part of his family (Gen. 17:12,13). 
In the same manner Gentiles that have faith in Christ are called sons of 
Abraham (Gal. 3:7). 



THE FREE INVITATION. • 325 

the fact that those who enter into so close a relation with Jehovah 
must have a character like His own ; and His ways and thoughts 
are far above those which attend a sinful life. Yet it need not be 
doubted that Jehovah will abundantly pardon him whose ways 
and thoughts have been far beneath the divine model; for al- 
though the condescension may seem very great, nevertheless, 
Jehovah has spoken, like the rain aud the snow that fails not to 
water the earth, His word of promise does not go forth in vain, 
but accomplishes that for which it has been uttered. 

One especial blessing shall come to Israel by 
Benefits 1 ^ e acce Ptance of this, invitation to enter into 

Jehovah's covenant, and that is a joyful return 
from the Exile and a notable change of barren lands and sterile 
trees into fruitfulness and beauty. Jehovah will follow His 
people with material benefits as well as sacred privileges. And 
this very transformation of want into abundance shall be a monu- 
ment to the honor of Jehovah's name. It is in the Messianic age 
especially that there have been most opportunities to observe to 
what extent a godly character contributes to personal prosper- 
ity and in how many ways it is demonstrated that righteousness 
exalts a nation. 

The Messianic- features of this prophecy seem 
Features to be, (1) a proclamation shall go forth from Je- 

hovah inviting those who hunger and thirst after 
waters that fail not and meat that perishes not, to come to Him 
and purchase a perfect satisfaction of soul without money and 
without price; (2) a covenant offered by Jehovah on the sure 
foundation of Davidic promises and laden with Davidic glories ; 
(3) the testimony of the future David, together with his leader- 
ship and command as a part of the covenantal blessing; (4) the 
call of a foreign people to the Davidic ruler; (5) a requirement 
of repentance and devotion to Jehovah as conditions of the 
sacred covenant; and (6) a bountiful yield of blessing from 
nature as a reward of faithful service to God. It is hardly reas- 
onable that all these items should perfectly suit the Messianic an- 
nouncements and yet have no Messianic significance. 



326 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

2. The Rich Reward. Isa. Iviii. 

The occasion of this prophecy was the sinful- 
Occasion ness °^ ^ ie P eo Pl e whom the prophet was seeking 
to reform. According to the accusations made 
against them in the earlier verses of the chapter, they offered 
their daily sacrifices, observed their regular feasts and assumed 
every appearance of devout worshipers, but in fact their lives 
were disgraced with contentions, profanations of the sabbath 
and disregard of the needs of the poor. The effort of the prophet 
is to rebuke this formality and hypocrisy by declaring that wor- 
ship under such conditions has no acceptance with Jehovah. Lay- 
ing his emphasis chiefly upon their fasts, which were especially 
designed to win divine favor, the prophet points out the fataJ 
inconsistency of such worship with their wicked lives, and follows 
this with advices of reformation and promises of reward. In 
the following verses (5-14) his leading thought is presented: 

Is such the fast that I have chosen? 
The day for a man to afflict his soul? 
Is it to bow down his head as a rush, 
And to spread sackcloth and ashes under him ? 
Wilt thou call this a fast, 
And an acceptable day to Jehovah? 

Is not this the fast that I have chosen: 
To loose the bonds of wickedness, 
To undo the bands of the yoke, 
And to let the oppressed go free, 
And that ye break every yoke? 
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, 

And that thou bring the poor that are cast out of the house? 
When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; 
And that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, 
And thy healing shall spring forth speedily; 
And thy righteousness shall go before thee; 
The glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward. 
Then shalt thou call, and Jehovah will answer; 
Thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am. 

If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, 
The putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; 
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, 
And satisfy the afflicted soul: 



THE RICH REWARD. 32T 

Then shall thy light rise in darkness, 

And thine obscurity be as the noonday; 

And Jehovah will guide thee continually, 

And satisfy thy soul in dry places, 

And make strong thy bones; 

And thou shalt be like a watered garden, 

And like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places;. 

Thou shalt raise up the foundation of many generations; 

And thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, 

The restorer of paths to dwell in. 

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, 
From doing thy pleasure on my holy day; 
And call the sabbath a delight, 
And the holy of Jehovah honorable; 
And shalt honor it, not doing thine own ways, 
Nor finding thine own pleasure, 
Nor speaking thine own words: 
Then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah; 

And I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth; 
And I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: 
For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. 

The prophet speaks of the fasting of his people 
as if they were observing voluntary fasts with the 
intent to secure the favor of Jehovah, but there was only one 
fast day in the year prescribed in the Mosaic law, the Day of 
Atonement (Lev. 16:29). It is certain, however, that spontan- 
eous fasts were sometimes held, especially on occasions of distress 
and need of divine help (Jud. 20:26; 1 Sam. 7 :6 ; et al.). It is 
known also that just. after the Exile four annual fasts were ob- 
served (Zech. 8:19) ; and the traditions of the Jewish Talmud 
refer these fasts to various disasters connected with the fall 
of Jerusalem. While we cannot be sure whether these or special 
fasts are the occasion of the prophet's discourse, it is evident that 
such devotions were spurned by Jehovah, not because they were 
not commanded, but because they were attended with disobedi- 
ence and hypocrisy. 

The true rewards of divine service are avail- 
The Rewards a ^ e on ] v to an unselfish character; and this is 
of Character. J ■.-,■> • i •■> 

made apparent by the charges against the exiles 

that they did not offer freedom to the oppressed, did not break 
the yoke of tyranny, did not feed the hungry and house the poor. 



328 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

When they shall do these charitable deeds out of genuine sym- 
pathy for their fellow men, Jehovah will cause the morning of 
national liberty to dawn upon His people, will make His glory 
to shine upon them, and answer their cries of distress. He 
promises that Israel, if she will cultivate such humanitarian in- 
stincts, shall be made like a watered garden or an unfailing 
spring; and more than this, they shall rebuild the old ruins, 
relay the old foundations, and be noted as the restorers of for- 
saken paths. Some such reformation and restoration are the 
necessary precursors of the Messianic era. 

In every generation Jehovah uses some com- 
of e jacob age man cl as a test of loyalty to Himself; and in that 
age the sabbath was such a test. The unfaithful 
exiles had trampled it under foot, and were now urged to "turn 
the foot" from it. and to cease to do as they pleased on that holy 
day. If the people will meet this sacred test, Jehovah will exalt 
them to high places and feed them with "the heritage of Jacob." 
Jacob's heritage, according to Gen. 28:13, 14, consisted of three 
elements, (1) the possession of the land of Palestine, (2) an in- 
numerable posterity, and (3) through his seed the blessing of the 
earth. This heritage was fraught with a fulness of Messianic 
hope, and so the present prophecy is intended to secure the same 
great Messianic ends. 

3. The Divine Interposition. Isa. lix. 15-21. 

Chapter lix bears a tone similar to chapter 
Wie^Messaee Iviii, except that Israel's sins are sounded forth 
with greater emphasis, and Jehovah's part in 
their salvation is put in a more dramatic form. The message is in 
three parts. First, in direct address, the prophet accuses the 
people of murder, falsehood, dishonesty and false pleading, add- 
ing that "they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity; they 
hatch adder's eggs, and weave the spider's web; and he that 
eateth of their eggs dieth; and that which is crushed breaketh 
out in a viper." This reminds one of the "Great Arraignment" 
in the first chapter of Isajah. Secondly, by the indirect plan of 
identifying himself with the people, the prophet confesses their 



THE DIVINE INTERPOSITION. 329 

sins as if he were guilty with the rest, and by their iniquity 
accounts for their disasters and the delay of salvation. And, 
thirdly, in verses 15-21 quoted below, Jehovah is represented as 
an armed warrior; and because no human intercessor can be 
found for them, undertakes their deliverance. 

And Jehovah saw it, 
And it displeased him that there was no justice. 
And he saw that there was no man, 
And wondered that there was no intercessor; 
Therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him; 
And his righteousness, it upheld him. 
And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, 
And a helmet of salvation upon his head; 
And he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, 
And was clad with zeal as a mantle. 

According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, 
Wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; 
To the islands he will repay recompense. 
So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, 
And his glory from the rising of the sun; 
For he will come as a rushing stream, 
"Which the breath of Jehovah driveth. 

And a redeemer shall come to Zion 
And to them that turn from sin in Jacob, saith Jehovah. 
And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah; 
My spirit that is upon thee, 

And my words which I have put into thy mouth, 
Shall not depart out of thy mouth, 
Nor out of the mouth of thy seed, 
Nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, 
Saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever. 

The poet-prophet pictures the moral condition 
Jehovah f i srae i as desperate and helpless ; for either for 

Champion. lack °f ability or want of courage, no man is pre- 

pared to intercede with God, as did Moseg of old, 
and bring deliverance. The state is more hopeless than the bond- 
men in Egypt ; and if Jehovah will save His people, He Himself 
must become the champion of their cause. While this is doubt- 
less rhetorical, and not intended to imply that there was not 
one faithful man in the Exile, it presents a vivid, flashlight view 
of the undone state of the captive people. Not less striking is the 



330 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

figure of Jehovah in garments of vengeance and raiment of zeal, 
first smiting clown the adversaries, and then redeeming Jacob. 
The Redeemer ^ le Redeemer that is here promised is by im- 
plication identified -with the Messiah by the 
Apostle Paul (Rom. 11 :26, 27), and this has good reason, since no 
human deliverer could be found, and a divine One has under- 
taken Israel's salvation. It is in the person of the Messiah that 
Jehovah engages in the redemptive task; and it is only through 
him that He reaches the east and the west, and brings men of 
all lands to fear Him. The rescue of the Jews from Exile did 
not in itself contemplate such results, and supplied no means 
adequate to such an accomplishment. 

The covenant which is announced in the closing 
Covenant strophe is made with the people, and not with 

the prophet, as some have thought; for on this 
point the plural "them" is decisive. This covenant includes the 
gift of the Holy Spirit and the abiding influence of Jehovah's 
word, which signifies the perpetual sovereignty of Jehovah in 
heart and life. The change to the singular "thee" does not in- 
dicate merely a prophetic gift which the people should not enjoy ; 
for it is to be handed down from generation to generation, which 
is a thought foreign to the Old Testament succession of prophets. 
The change is an effort to secure greater rhetorical vigor by * 
transition to the direct discourse. Such a covenant implies 
knowledge, righteousness, moral freedom (2 Cor. 3:17) and co- 
operation with Jehovah. Thus combines exalted character with 
exalted privilege, a marked contrast with the iniquity and humili- 
ation of the exiles. 

4. The Minister of Grace. Isa. Ixi. 

The In this very beautiful and remarkable proph- 

Message. ec y ^ speaker describes in the first strophe the 

offices of his gracious ministry, to give relief, liberty and com- 
fort to those of his people who were in conditions of distress. 
In the second strophe he predicts the rebuilding of Israel's 
ruined cities, the restoration of her desolated lands, the renewal 
of her national honor and the formation of an everlasting cov- 



THE MINISTER OF GRACE. 331 

enant between her and Jehovah. In the third strophe he imper- 
sonates Israel as rejoicing in these promises and prospects, ad- 
miring herself clothed with salvation and righteousness as a 
bridegroom decked with a garland or a bride adorned with jewels,. 
and comparing herself to a fertile garden as she brings forth 
righteousness and praise to Jehovah. The ideal character of 
the message is implied in its poetic form. 

The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; 
For Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; 
He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, 
To proclaim liberty to the captives, 

And the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 
To proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, 
And the day of vengeance of our God; 
To comfort all that mourn; 
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, 
To give unto them a garland for ashes, 
The oil of joy for mourning, 

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; 
That they may be called trees of righteousness, 
The planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 

And they shall build the old -wastes, 
They shall raise up the former desolations, 
And they shall repair the waste cities, 
The desolations of many generations. 
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, 
And foreigners shall be your ploughmen and your vine-dressers. 
But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; 
Men shall call you the ministers of our God; 
Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, 
And in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 
Instead of your shame ye shall have double; 
And instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: 
Therefore in their land they shall possess double; 
Everlasting joy shall be unto them. 
For I, Jehovah, love justice, 
I hate robbery and iniquity; 

And I will give them their recompense in truth, 
And I will make an everlasting covenent with them. 
And their seed shall be known among the nations, 
All that see them shall acknowledge them, 
That they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed. 

I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, 
My soul shall be joyful in my God; 

For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, 
.He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, 



332 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Ab a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, 

And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 

For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, 

And as a garden eauseth the things sown in it to spring forth; 

So the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise 

To spring forth before all nations. 

The Many scholars have debated with some ardor 

Speaker. whether the speaker in the first strophe is the 

prophet himself or the Servant of Jehovah, the Messiah. It is 
urged, (1) that the prophet does not usually speak of himself 
at length, but rather keeps himself in the background-, (2) that 
where another than Jehovah speaks of his work for men, it is 
the Servant, as in Isa. 49:1-6; 50:4-9; (3) that the offices here 
presented are those of the Servant as described in previous pas- 
sages; and (4) that it is hardly reasonable to expect that after 
a direct and dramatic introduction of the Servant, the prophet 
would thrust himself into the foreground and assume the role 
of that divine Hero.* On the other hand, it is said, (1) that it 
is not improper or uncommon for the prophets to refer freely 
to their own work, and that this one does so in the beginning of 
the very next chapter (lxii) ; (2) that in xlviii. 16, the prophet 
speaks of his own mission, and, as here, refers to the Spirit and 
to Jehovah for authority; (3) that here the speaker is only a 
proclaimer of liberty and comfort, not as the Servant, a medi- 
ator and redeemer; and (4) that it is highly improbable that 
after the work of the Servant has been presented in so deep and 
lofty reaches of humility and service, he would be again set 
forth in a confessedly subordinate position. 

Hi 9 The fact that Jesus read a portion of this 

delation prophecy in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 

to Jesus. 4 :18 _2i) 5 and sa i d that it was that day fulfilled, 

implies but little respecting the question who the preacher in 

*For the elaboration and defense of these points, see Commentary on 
Isaiah by Delitzsch. Canon George Rawlinson (Pulpit Commentary) says: 
"The words of our Lord in Luke iv. 21, 'this day is this Scripture ful- 
filled in your ears,' preclude the application of this passage to any other 
thail the Lord himself. It is simply astonishing that some Christian 
Commentators (Ewald, Hitzig, Knobel) have not seen the force of this 
argument; but, with the Jews, imagine the prophet to be speaking of 
bis own ministry." 



THE MINISTER OF GRACE. 333 

the prediction was. Since Jesus was doing a work similar to that 
herein described, he was fulfilling the utterance, whether the 
prophet ever performed such a task or not. If the prophet 
meant himself, he was a type of Jesus, and the passage here is a 
typical prophecy. If this be true, it will account for the lack 
of anything supernatural in the work and for its perfect adap- 
tation to the times when Israel was about to return to Palestine 
from the Captivity. It is worthy of note that the second strophe 
refers distinctly to the rebuilding of the desolated places in 
Judea and to a revival of national position and renown. Every 
allusion to captives, bondage, mourning, foreigners, the wealth 
of nations and the seed which Jehovah hath blessed, well suits 
the exilic times, and well describes the field of prophetic labor. 
It is a far better typical than literal description of the sphere 
of Jesus ' activities. 
Extent of the The typology is by no means exhausted in 
Typology. the similarity of the work of the prophet and 

that of Jesus; for the nation in captivity had many conditions 
which sadly enough prefigured the weaknesses and woes, physi- 
cal and moral, which appeared among the people with whom the 
Savior lived and labored. The prophet saw Israel in prison, 
in serfdom, in poverty, in mourning, and in great discourage- 
ments, and proclaimed their deliverance ; while Jesus found men 
imprisoned in sins, enslaved in traditions, grieved with disease 
and death, untaught and almost bereft of Messianic hope. In- 
deed, the whole world was waiting and longing for a deliverer 
from ills and evils for which only the divine healer could supply 
a remedy. The wastes and desolations of human obliquity in 
every generation demand a great proclaimer and leader of restor- 
ation. It is not strange, therefore, that scholars doubt whom the 
prophet means when in presenting his own duties he so perfect- 
ly forecasts the mission of his illustrious successor. 
The Year of To understand the speaker's mission "to pro- 

Jehovah's claim the year of Jehovah's favor," we must 

Favor. remember that in the forty-ninth year, in the 

seventh month, on the day of atonement, according to the He- 
brew law, heralds were to go through the land with trumpets 
to announce the incoming of the year of jubilee, when every slave 



334 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

should go free, and every family that in poverty had lost their 
home should return to it in peace (Lev. 25:8-28). Thus the 
prophet was to proclaim in the Exile "the year of Jehovah's 
favor," when the bound should be free and the exile go home. 
Of this also Jesus could announce a rich fulfilment in that time 
when Messianic favor, like the long-wished jubilee, was come at 
last with its offers of release and its return to the divine inheri- 
tance. 
Priests and In the Exile the Jews were debased by a peo- 

Ministers. pi e that served false gods, and whose priests 

were supported and honored, while the Jews were despised for 
their devotion to Jehovah; but the time was at hand when the 
Jews would be served by foreigners who should be taught the 
worship of the true God, and regard the Jews as their priests and 
ministers. This is another Messianic forecast; and, indeed, it 
is chiefly in the work of presenting the great world sacrifice and 
proclaiming to mankind the way to divine acceptance, that the 
Jews have risen to an international supremacy. Possibly the 
prophet may have thought only of the reverses of national for- 
tune as the Exile closed, and that he spoke more wisely than he 
knew ; but the divine purpose is to us now unmistakable. 
The Portion When the exiles were to return to their coun- 

and Covenant, try. as a reward for their sorrows, they should 
receive a double possession. This means that instead of their 
poverty, they were to have a firstborn's share, twice as much as 
others. God loves justice, and will therefore overthrow the op- 
pressor and give faithful Judah a compensation for her losses. 
This is connected with a promise of a new and perpetual cove- 
nant : and this implies that the reward will come with the mak- 
ing of such a compact. This leads us to look for the rich inheri- 
tance in the Messianic age; when in fellowship with Christ bless- 
ings are bestowed that infinitely transcend in value the fortunes 
of heathen kingdoms. 

A prospect of so great blessings from Jehovah 

ReTcncine as those se ^ f° r th in this oracle ought to move 

the nation to the heartiest rejoicings; and if 

they do not themselves have faith enough to break forth into 

thanksgiving, the prophet, as the preacher of his time, should 






THE WAY OF HOLINESS. 335 

lead the people in praise, and voice the appropriate word of 
appreciation. Salvation and righteousness are the two notes of 
emphasis; and these two are most vital to a nation exiled on 
account of transgression. Who can measure the joy of a people 
that have suffered long the cruelties of tyrants and taskmasters, 
when they are about to escape from thraldom and to receive "a 
garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and robes of praise 
for the spirit of heaviness?" How much more should men now 
rejoice as they secure under the loving Messiah their freedom 
from guilt with an assurance of their eternal inheritance ! 

5. The Way of Holiness. Isa. xxxv. 

It is evident that this chapter has no connec- 
nn ion. tion with that which follows, which relates the 
invasion of Sennacherib ; but some hold that it is joined logically 
with the doom of Edom, which immediately precedes it. Possibly 
the two chapters stand to each other in the attitude of intended 
contrast, as expressed by Del.itzsch: "Edom has fallen, never 
again to rise. Its land is changed into a terrible desert; the 
desert, on the contrary, through which ransomed Israel returns 
home, into a blooming field." But against this view stands a 
serious objection, that the present chapter does not mention, much 
less emphasize, Israel, as such a contrast would seem to require ; 
but from the first verse on, assumes an independent setting. It 
appears much more natural to associate this prophecy with chap- 
ters lxi and lxii, which are replete with similar promises, and con- 
template a like environment. 

The conditions of the people of whom the 
Conditions prophet writes are not expressed, but are unmis- 

takably implied. They are "weak," "fearful," 
in ' ' sorrow and sighing ; ' ' and about to be ' ' ransomed, " to "re- 
turn, and come with singing unto Zion." Add to these allusions 
the presence of the desert and the need of a highway, and the cir- 
cumstances of the exiles at the close of the Babylonian period 
are sufficiently evident. The weakness and hesitancy of the 
people to whom a return to Palestine was proposed by the 
prophets, must be overcome ; and the dread of the desert through 
which they must pass and of the desolate land on their arrival 



336 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

must be removed, before the exiles will consent to hazard such 
an undertaking. The prophet assures them that Jehovah will 
dissolve all difficulties before them, will turn the fearful wilder- 
ness into a garden of fertility, and transform the trackless waste 
of sand into a highway favored with pools and streams of water. 
It is an attractive, poetic expression of Jehovah's readiness to 
protect and sustain His people in one of their most trying experi- 
ences. The poetic form may be seen in the following arrange- 
ment of the message : 

The -wilderness and arid land shall be glad; 
And the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose. 
It shall blossom abundantly, 
And rejoice even with joy and singing; 
The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, 
The excellency of Carmel and Sharon; 
They shall see the glory of Jehovah, 
The excellency of our God. 

Strengthen ye the weak hands, 
And confirm the feeble knees. 
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, 
Be strong, fear not; 

Behold, your God will come with vengeance, 
With the recompense of God; 
He will come and save you. 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, 
And the ears of the" deaf shall be unstopped. 
Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, 
And the tongue of the dumb shall sing; 
For in the wilderness shall waters break out, 
And streams in the desert. 
And the glowing sands shall become a pool, 
And the thirsty ground springs of water: 
In the habitation of jackals, where they lay, 
Shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 

And a highway shall be there, and a way, 
And it shall be called the Way of Holiness. 
The unclean shall not pass over it, 
Nor shall it be for them;* 

*The American Standard Version translates these lines thus: "But 
it shall be for the redeemed: the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err 
therein." A literal of the Hebrew is, "And it is for them; and a 
goer of way and fools shall not err" (or wander). Probably the first 
clause should have the negative carried over from the preceding clause. 
A careful collation of negative Hebrew sentences shows that in the 



THE WAY OF HOLINESS. 337 

The wayfarer and fools shall not wander there; 

No lion shall be there, 

Nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; 

They shall not be found there: 

But the redeemed shall walk there; 

And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, 

And come with singing unto Zion; 

And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; 

They shall obtain gladness and joy, 

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

Set in the foreground of every scene in this 
Prominence poem js Jehovah as the author of transformation 
Jehovah. an d the object of Israel's devotion. If the peo- 

ple are to behold the desert crowned with "the 
glory of Lebanon ' ' and ' ' the excellency of Carmel, " it is only that 
therein may be reflected "the glory of Jehovah, the excellency 
of our God. ' ' If the weak are to be strengthened, and the timid 
encouraged, they are animated with the promise, "your God will 
come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. ' ' If their mis- 
fortunes and afflictions are to be healed, and a highway be opened 
for the redeemed, it is all because "the ransomed of Jehovah shall 
return." This suggests that the prophet esteemed Israel's su- 
preme need to be a stronger confidence in Jehovah and a clearer 
vision of His saving help. 

If a literal interpretation is to be placed on 
Future 3 **" s prophecy, it certainly anticipates a mar- 

velous change in nature and among men ; and it 
can be fulfilled only by a series of miracles such as were not even 
wrought by the Savior and his apostles. They did, indeed, heal 
a few blind, deaf and lame; but they did not cause waters to 
break out in a wilderness, streams to gush forth in a desert, glow- 
majority of cases the negative word is repeated if the writer desired to 
carry the negative idea to a second word or clause; yet in some well 
marked instances (e. g., Gen. 45:6; 1 Sam. 2:3; Ps. 9:19) the negative 
word is not repeated in the added member of the sentence, but is under- 
stood. Here between two negative clauses, an affirmative is out of 
place; and the Am. Eevisers insert the word "redeemed" to make sense, 
when a negative understood makes a much better connection and correla- 
tion of thought. The word "wander" as well represents the Hebrew 
verb as "err," and far better suits the trend of thought, in which is 
first given a list of objects excluded from the highway, and then those 
admitted to it. Compare Briggs' Mes. Proph., p. 319. 



33^ THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

ing sand to become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of 
water. We have no record that such things have been literally 
performed by any person ; and we are not told that the return 
of Israel from Babylon was marked by any of these supernatural 
events. It is necessary to conclude that it was not the divine in- 
tention to fulfil the prediction literally, but that the author 
painted on the prophetic canvass an ideal picture, just as a poet, 
an orator, or a reformer describes an ideal character or state of 
societj' which he knows will be only partially realized. 

In the present case it is some embarrassment 
Ideal. ; ° to our appreciation of an ideal message that it 

is God, not men, whose works are idealized, and 
we should expect Him to fulfil the most perfect ideal. But we 
must remember that God can deal with men only as they deserve 
or are prepared to receive, and that He will not waste His work 
on the obstinate and unreceptive. If it were a matter of divine 
character or personal perfections, we might be sure that no 
picture could overreach the reality ; but here the message relates 
to the rewards which Jehovah would gladly bestow upon an ideal 
people, and these are put in material forms where probably the 
most valuable spiritual blessings are intended. The form was 
especially adapted to awaken the interest and cultivate the 
loyalty of the exiles. 

The Hieh av Clearly the climax of this prediction is the 

description of the Highway of Holiness. It will 
be consecrated ground. An unclean person shall not pass over 
it; and the worthless wayfarer, whom we call a loafer or tramp, 
and the fool, who is always in the Bible regarded as a nuisance 
or a miscreant, shall not loiter there. It is also a safe way ; for 
no lion or other dangerous beast shall infest it. But the re- 
deemed, those whom Jehovah has ransomed from Babylonian 
possession, from the midst of "sorrow and sighing," shall come 
by that way with everlasting joy upon their heads. 

We may not suppose that because this was 

Reach** 6 addressed to the exiles that its value does not 

extend beyond their experience. Some of the 

principles here exhibited are timeless. (1) Jehovah is the 



PROPHECIES OF RESTORATION. . 339 

guardian and protector of His people ; for if He led Israel to 
some far-off sacred task, He will lead all His faithful ones to a 
worthy service and a rich reward. (2) He who offered to trans- 
form the desert into a paradise and change the deceptive mirage 
into pools of water before Israel if she would leave Babylon, is 
able and ready to give even a more marvelous national prosperity 
to those that heed His call out of moral bondage and spiritual 
exile;- and this is often demonstrated in the progress of an 
honest, industrious and enterprising people. (3) It is true, not 
only that the Messiah is able to heal the blind and halt, but that 
his principles of mercy and thoughtfulness for the suffering 
have led to sanitary ^regulations, surgical and medical skill, and 
to such care of the afflicted as that their deprivations all but dis- 
appear. (4) Jehovah has pointed out to Israel a Way of Holi- 
ness, not merely a path through the Arabian desert, but a moral 
and religious course from the days of the Exile onward, and 
especially the great Christian highroad of a holy life by which 
the ransomed of Jehovah "come with singing unto Zion." Thus 
the prophecy is an idea] representation of the good will of Je- 
hovah to men and his disposition to lead on toward an increas- 
ingly glorious future. 

Section V. Prophecies of Restoration. 

Among the undated prophecies are many 
Character utterances that contemplate a restoration from 

exile, and may be presumed to relate to the house 
of Israel about to go forth from Babylonia. Especially in the 
book of Isaiah, chapters xl-lxvi, are many passages, besides those 
already considered under other heads, that express the Messianic 
relation of Israel to Jehovah in her restoration to the land of 
divine choice. If no great Messianic future had been in store for 
Israel, the words of the prophet in these passages could be re- 
garded only as the exaggerations of a religious fanatic. In the 
light of Messianic developments, however, these representations 
are sane, since no flight of prophetic enthusiasm can transcend 
the manifest realities of Jehovah's redemptive work. 



340 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

1. A Proclamation of Comfort. Isa. xl. 1-11. 

The form of this prophecy is unique. It 
Form 317 opens abruptly with a call from Jehovah to 

comfort His people and to announce the end 
of their warfare. This is followed by a series of voices pro- 
claiming a preparation for the return from captivity, the cer- 
tainty of Jehovah's word, and the nearness of His reward. It 
is a dramatic forecast of Israel's release under Jehovah's di- 
rection. The literary character of the writing may be seen 
when reproduced in modern form. 

(Jehovah's call to His proclaimers.) 
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God, 
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; 
And cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, 
That her iniquity is pardoned, 
That she hath received of Jehovah 's hand double for all her sins. 

(The voice o*f a proclaimer.) 
Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; 
Make level in the desert a highway for our God. 
Every valley shall be exalted, 
And every mountain and hill shall be made low; 
And the uneven shall be made level, 
And the rough places a plain; 
And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, 
And all flesh shall see it together; 
For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. 

(A second voice.) 
Cry. 

(A third voice.) 
What shall I cry? 
All flesh is grass, 

And all its goodliness is as the flower of the field; 
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, 
Because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; 
Surely the people is grass. 

(The second voice.) 
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; 
But the word of our God shall stand forever. 

(One proclaimer calling to another.) 
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, 
Get thee up on a high mountain; 



DELIVERANCE BY CYRUS. 341 

O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, 

Lift up thy voice with strength ; 

Lift it up, be not afraid; 

Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! 

Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, 

And his arm will rule for him; 

Behold, his reward is with him, 

And his recompense before him. 

He will feed his flocks like a shepherd: 

He will gather the lambs in his arm, 

And carry them in his bosom, 

And will gently lead those that have their young. 

Need of The teaching of the prophets both before ana 

Comfort. after the Exile was that the fall of Jerusalem 

and the scattering of its inhabitants were punishments for sin 
and inflicted by Jehovah. These penalties proved very severe, 
and lasted many years. At their close Jehovah approached 
Israel as a parent to a chastened child with appropriate conso- 
lations and promises-. Israel's deep sadness made such a show 
of kindness necessary, and her exiled condition made the prom- 
ises of restoration the best possible means of solace. Indeed, 
nothing could so readily and permanently satisfy her longings 
as a final return and resettlement of the land of her fathers. 
The Greatest But Jehovah's consolations go much deeper 

Consolation. than a prospect of return to Palestine. Jehovah 
is Himself much more to Israel than homes and lands and cities ; 
and hence the deepest voice of consolation is that which cries, 
"Behold your God." Jehovah will come to Judah, not merely 
as a visitor to receive the homage which has been long His due, 
but as a ruler and a rewarder ; and thus by His coming the na- 
tion will secure the divine guidance and blessing the spurning 
of which has brought on all her woes. If in punishment Jehovah 
has seemed harsh toward Judah, now in the restoration He will 
show the gentleness and mercy of a shepherd that gathers the 
lambs in his arms and carries them in his bosom. The Messianic 
element here is the blessed future implied for the chosen peo- 
ple, in which they are to be divinely directed and divinely re- 
warded. 

2. Deliverance by Cyrus. 
Historical A series of prophecies relating to the work 

Background. of Cyrus and the return of Israel to Palestine 



34 2 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

may be studied together. A brief survey of the political situa- 
tion will make the bearing of the messages more apparent. We 
are informed by a tablet containing the annals of Xabonidus, 
the last king of the Babylonian Empire, that in 549 B. C. 
Astyages, king of Media, made war with Cyrus, king- of Ansan, 
that the army of Astyages revolted against him and delivered 
him to Cyrus, who then took the capital of Media, Ecbatana. 
About three years later according to these annals, Cyrus is 
called "king of Persia." which may imply that during this in- 
terval In 1 had gained dominion over that country. He rapidly 
conquered northern Mesopotamia and Armenia, and in: 540 
by a brilliant campaign in Asia Minor captured the person and 
wealth of Croesus, king of Lydia. Taking advantage of a re- 
volt in northern Babylonia, he marched against Nabonidus in 
538, won a victory at Opis, took Sippara without fighting, and 
the army under Gobryas followed the fleeing Nabonidus to 
Babylon, where the city and king were taken without resist- 
ance. 

Whatever may be said of the date of this 
ihe^Prophecy portion of Isaiah, the prophecy concerning 
Cyrus and the exiles relates to the time of the 
campaigns just mentioned, and looks forward to the conse- 
quent fortunes of Israel. These utterances particularly fit 
that moment in the history when Cyrus had won his great suc- 
cesses in Lydia, and might be presumed Babylon's superior 
rival. It is to be noted that the prophecy does not predict the 
rising of Cyrus as if he belonged to the future, but assumes 
his existence and ability to conquer, as if he were well known. 
He is one already "raised up," to whom Jehovah "giveth na- 
tions." and whom He addresses as a present personage. The 
prediction relates to what Cyrus is to do for Babylon and 
Israel ; and this implies that before the prophet assumes as the 
setting of his messages the time just before the fall of the 
Babylonian Empire. 
The First The prophet alludes to Cyrus in three dis- 

Passage. tinct passages, and in the second of these he is 

twice called by name; but in the others he is marked only by the 
work which he is to do. In no case is he formally introduced 



DELIVERANCE BY CYRUS. 343 

as if unknown; but in every instance allusion is made to him 
incidentally in the course of a discussion to which the mention 
of Cyrus is quite subordinate. In the first passage, Isa. xli. 1-4, 
25, the subject of divine sovereignty is treated, and the ques- 
tion is asked, "Who hath raised up" one from the east?" and 
the answer is, "I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am 
he." The passage is argumentative in thought, but dramatic 
and poetic in form. The nations are summoned into Jehovah's 
presence, and He reasons with them as follows: 

Keep silence before me, islands; 
And let the peoples renew their strength: 
Let them come near; then let them speak; 
Let us come near together to judgment. 

Who hath raised up one from the east, 
Him whom victory meets at every step? 

He giveth nations before him, 
And maketh him rule over kings; 
He giveth them as dust to his sword, 
As the driven stubble to his bow. 
He pursueth them, and passeth on safely, 
Even by a way that he had n'ot gone with his feet. 

Who hath wrought and done it, 
Calling the generations from the beginning? 
I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am he. 



I have raised up one from the north, and he is come; 
From the rising of the sun one that calleth upon my name: 
And he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, 
And as the potter treadeth clay. 

This part of the prophecy has no strictly 
Value Messianic feature; but Jehovah's sovereignty is 

essential to the importance of Israel's elec- 
tion to be His Servant, which is announced in the context, vv. 
8-16. The rising of Cyrus is explained to be the work of Jehovah, 
and his success is a part of the divine purpose ; but to what end 
this revolution is produced among the nations, the prophecy 
does not here point out. In the fall of the nations by which 
Israel has been oppressed, wrought by the hand of Israel's God, 
the exiles can discern at least a dawn of deliverance. This Avill 



344 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

be more fully developed in later allusions to the conqueror. 

In the second passage, Isa. xliv. 24 — xlv. 25, 
Passage. 011 Cyrus is set forth as a distinct figure, his mis- 

sion plainly announced, and the beneficent re- 
sults for Israel are specified. Pursuant to the dramatic style of 
the prophet, he first addresses Israel with the words of promise 
regarding the career of Cyrus, then He addresses Cyrus concern- 
ing the divine source of his strength, then again He addresses 
Israel as if some had dissented to the choice of a foreign prince 
for a deliverer, and finally He turns to the idolatrous nations 
with a most profound and rebuking contrast of His far-reaching 
purposes of salvation with the senselessness of their wooden 
images. The most important portions of the passage are as 
follows : 

(Addressed to Israel.) 
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, 

And he that formed thee from the womb: 

I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; 

That stretcheth forth the heavens alone; 

That spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; 

That frustrateth the signs of the liars, 

And maketh diviners mad; 

That turneth wise men backward. 

And maketh their knowledge foolish; 

That confirmeth the word of his servant, 

And performeth the counsel of his messengers; 

That saith of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited, 

And of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, 

And I will raise up the waste places thereof; 

That saith of the deep, Be dry, 

And I will dry up the rivers; 

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, „ 

And shall perform all my pleasure, 

Even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; 

And of the temple, Thy foundations shall be laid. 

(Addressed to Cyrus.) 
Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus. 
Whose right hand J have holden, 
To subdue nations before him. 
And I will loose the loins of kings; 
To open the doors before him, 
And the gates shall not be shut: 
T will go before thee, 
And make the rough places smooth; 
I will break in pieces the doors of brass, 



DELIVERANCE BY CYRUS. 345 

And cut in sunder the bars of iron; 

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, 

And hidden riches of secret places, 

That thou mayest know that it is I, Jehovah, 

Who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. 

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, 

I have called thee by thy name; 

I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 

I am Jehovah, and there is none else; 

Besides me there is no God. 

I will gird thee, though thou has not known me, 

That they may know from the rising of the sun, 

And from the west, that there is none beside me: 

I am Jehovah, and there is none else. 

I form the light, and create darkness; 

I make peace, and create evil; 

I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things. 

(Addressed to dissenting Israel.) 
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! 
A potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! 
Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, 
What makest thou? or thy work say, He hath no hands? 
Woe unto him that saith to a father, What begettest thou? 
Or to a woman, With what travailest thou? 
Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: 
Ask me of the things that are to come; 

Concerning my sons and the work of my hands, demand of me. 
I iiave made the earth, and created man upon it; 
I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, 
And all their host have I commanded. 
I have raised him up in righteousness, 
And I will make straight all his ways: 
He shall build my city, and set my exiles free, 
Not for price nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts. 

(Addressed to idolatrous nations.) 
Assemble yourselves and come; 
Draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: 
They have no knowledge that carry the wood of their idol, 
And pray unto a god that cannot save. 
Declare ye, and bring it forth; 
Yea, let them take counsel together: 
Who hath showed this from ancient time? 
Who declared it of old? Did not I, Jehovah? 
And there is no God else besides me, 
A just God and a Savior; there is none besides me. 
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth; 
For I am God, and there is none else. 
By myself have I sworn, 



346 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The word is gone from my mouth in righteousness, 

And shall not return, 

That unto me every knee shall bow, 

Every tongue shall swear. 

Only in Jehovah, it is said of me, are righteousness and strength; 

Even to him shall men come; 

And all they that were incensed against him shall be ashamed. 

In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified and glory. 

The Main That which Israel most needed in this greatest 

Point of crisis of all her history was to know the abso- 

Emphasis. j ute exc i us i ve anc ] divine sovereignty of Jeho- 

vah; and this truth more than any other finds emphasis in this 
prophecy. Cyrus is not mentioned on his own account, nor 
raised up for his own sake, nor have his own divinities prospered 
him; but it is all of Jehovah and for the glory of His name. 
Cyrus is unwittingly the servant of the one true God, is doing 
His pleasure, and is yet to accomplish greater deeds by His 
help — all that men may know that it is Jehovah, and that there 
is none else. Not till Israel has learned this cardinal truth will 
she be prepared to take any steps toward her Messianic future. 

The Work Israel is informed that the career of Cyrus is 

of Cyrus not an accident of history, but he is Jehovah's 

for Israel. shepherd placed over Israel's interests. His 

office is to say of Jerusalem, "She shall be built;" and of the 

temple, "Thy foundations shall be laid." Besides this, he is 

to set the captives free, and that without price or reward. 

The policy of the Assyrians and Babylonians 
Cvrus 6 ° nac * Deen to deport nations from their native 

lands, that they might not become rebellious; 
but this had left many countries desolate, and the empire had 
gained but little strength. Cyrus would adopt the opposite 
policy; and by returning peoples interested in their homelands, 
he sought to give growth and vigor to his dominion. Josephus 
(Ant. xi. i. 2) says that Cyrus was moved to return Israel and 
to rebuild Jerusalem by this prophecy; but it is very uncertain 
whether this is true, or whether Cyrus ever heard of this proph- 
ecy. The writer of 2 Chronicles 36 :22, and Ezra 1 :1, ascribes 
the incitement of Cyrus to a prophecy of Jeremiah (perhaps 



DELIVERANCE BY CYRUS. 347 

he refers to Jer. 29 :10) ; but that prophet does not mention Cyrus 
by name nor foretell the decree of any king in connection with 
the return. 

The ultimate object of Jehovah is stated in- 
the V Wo°rld.° f directly, but not the less distinctly when He 
says, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, ye ends 
of the earth * * * By myself have I sworn * * * that unto me 
every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. ' ' Other gods are 
•arraigned with the charge that they ' ' cannot save, ' ' while in con- 
trast Jehovah is "a just God and a Savior." It may be urged 
that only Israel's salvation is contemplated, and that this is 
implied by the closing line, "In Jehovah shall all the seed of 
Israel be justified and glory;" but the fact that when He ad- 
dresses the "ends of the earth," He adds, "For I am God, and 
there is none else," indicates that He is the one God of all, 
hence that all men are accounted His and within the reach of 
His saving power, and this is confirmed by the words, "Even 
to him shall men come. ' ' Israel is first to be saved, then through 
Israel the ends of the earth are to be redeemed. Cyrus under 
Jehovah's guidance will begin the whole series of remedial ef- 
forts. , 

Another allusion to the work of Cyrus ap- 
Passage rd pears in Isa. xlviii. 14-22, in connection with 

which Israel is admonished to leave Babylon, re- 
joicing that she is saved by Jehovah. As in former cases, the 
allusion lies in the midst of an exhortation to faith in the one 
God who is able to deliver His people. It is sufficient to quote 
vv. 14, 15 and 20, as follows : 

Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; 
Who among them hath declared these things? 

He whom Jehovah l'oveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, 
And his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. 
I, even I, have spoken; 

Yea, I have called him, I have brought him, 
And he shall make his way prosperous. 
******* 

Go ye forth from Babylon, 

Flee ye from the Chaldeans; 

With a voice of singing declare ye, 

Tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; 

Say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob. 



348 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

From all these passages it is evident that the 
from 6 Jehovah, deliverance of Israel by the hand of Cyrus was 
to be a type of future salvation and a pledge 
from Jehovah that He would rescue His people even to the ends 
of the earth. When Israel goes forth from Babylon, she is to 
tell everywhere that it is Jehovah that has wrought the redemp- 
tion. The reason for this is not given, but it points toward some 
future work of Jehovah which it is not the province of the proph- 
et here more fully to unfold. 

3. The Faithfulness of Jehovah. 

The latter portion of the book of Isaiah, chap- 
the Book * ers x ^ — l xy i> mav De conveniently divided into 

of Isaiah. three nearly equal parts, chapters xl — xlviii, 

xlix — lv, lvi— lxvi. In the first of these divisions the work of 
Cyrus is perhaps a conspicuous, though subordinate, theme, and 
the Servant of Jehovah is introduced ; in the second, the Servant 
is most notable ; while in the third, the fortunes of Zion are in 
the foreground. Cyrus is not mentioned outside of the first di- 
vision, and the Servant is set forth only in the first and second. 
The first treats primarily the sovereignty of Jehovah, which 
receives little attention in other parts; and so in the second the 
faithfulness of Jehovah has attention as in no other portion. 
This faithfulness is exhibited in several passages and in a variety 
of forms. 

In the first passage, Isa. xlix. 14-23, Zion is 
Forsaken. 110 represented as uttering the complaint, "Jehovah 
hath forsaken me," and this is followed by Je- 
hovah 's response. 

But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, 
And the Lord hath forgotten me. 

Can a woman forget her sucking child, 
That she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? 
Yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. 
Behold, I have graven thee on the palms of my hands; 
Thy walls are continually before me. 
Thy children shall hasten hither; 
Thy destroyers and thy devastators shall go forth from thee. 



ISRAEL NOT DIVORCED. 349 

.Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: 

All these gather themselves together, and come to thee. 

As I live, saith Jehovah, 

With them all as an ornament thou shalt clothe thee, 

And gird thyself with them, like a bride. 

For as for thy waste and desolate places, 
And thy land that hath been destroyed, 
Surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, 
And they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 
The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, 
The place is too strait for me, 
Give place to me that I may dwell. 
Then shalt thou say in thine heart, 
"Who hath begotten me these, 

Seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, 
An exile, and wandering to and fro? 
And who hath brought up these? 
Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they? 

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, 
Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, 

And set up my ensign to the peoples; ? 

And they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, 
And thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 
And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, 
And their queens thy nursing mothers: 

They shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, 
And lick the dust of thy feet; 
And thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; 
And they that wait for me shall not be put to shame. 

' The appropriateness of this message to the coii- 
t^Exfles. ditions of Israel near the close of the Exile is 

notable. For many years there had been no re- 
lief from the thraldom of the Captivity, and it was natural that 
Israel should answer the prophets with the despairing cry, Jeho- 
vah has forsaken us. If Jehovah is to accomplish anything with 
this people, such a complaint must be fully met, and mutual 
confidence be restored. This necessity calls forth a very tender 
avowal of Jehovah's love for Israel and a renewed expression of 
His gracious purposes of restoration and prosperity. 

Very beautiful and impressive figures are em- 

the C piea ployed to exhibit Jehovah's faithfulness in this 

prophecy. The strongest instinct of human love 

is that of a woman for her infant child, and Jehovah protests 



350 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

that though a mother might forget her babe. He will not forget 
His chosen people. Jehovah has inscribed them indelibly, like 
tattooed tokens of remembrance, on the palms of His hand, 
that they might be as parts of Himself, and brought to His mind 
by every motion of His own life. He will make Zion as a pro- 
lific mother, around whom numerous children shall gather, with 
which she shall be decked as with ornaments and girdled as a 
bride encircles her wedding dress with a glittering girdle. She 
need not lament that she has not children to repeople the deso- 
lated homeland ; for, although she may count herself as a widow 
bereft, her children shall be so many that the land will prove too 
narrow to hold them, and she shall overhear them saying to one 
another, "Give me more room in which to dwell." Remembering 
that she was husbandless and an exile, she shall wonder how so 
many children have suddenly appeared, who their father, by 
whom brought up, and where they have been. When all this 
comes to pass, Israel can no more charge desertion against Jeho- 
vah. 

Moreover, honor shall be added to numbers. 
Honor Jehovah will beckon with His hand to the na- 

tions, and they shall come carrying Israel's 
children from every quarter, and He will set up an ensign 
where the precious burdens shall be unloaded. Besides this, 
the kings and queens of the earth will become the nurses of 
Israel 's offspring ; and after the manner of the greatest Oriental 
homage, these kings and queens shall bow down and lick the very 
dust of Israel's feet. Thus graphically and poetically the as- 
cendancy of Israel among the peoples of the earth is foretold ; 
and while this has not been realized politically, yet religiously 
under the Messiah all races of men are paying homage to the 
favored sons of Jacob. 

The second passage, Isa. 1.1-3, meets Israel's 
(2) Israel not doubt of Jehovah's interest in her from a slight- 
Divorced, ly different angle. More distinctly than in the 
former passage, Jehovah is the husband of Israel ; 
for while she is there represented as misconceiving herself a 
widow ' ' bereaved of children and solitary, ' ' she is here corrected 
of the mistaken notion that she has been divorced by Jehovah. 



THE FAITHFULNESS OF JEHOVAH. 35 1 

So long had she been deprived of His help and left to straggle 
with her misfortunes alone, that she concludes that the separa- 
tion is final, and hence that it is not worth while to look to Him 
for sympathy or deliverance; but it is clear that such a thought 
encouraged in her mind would defeat all His plans to make her 
His agent in the world's redemption. In a very forceful way, 
therefore, He seeks to remove the error. 

The individual descendants of Israel are here 
Children poetically regarded as sons of Jehovah; and 

since they seem to be abandoned by Him, they 
think of themselves as sold by their father to 
creditors as slaves in payment of a debt. He protests that this 
is also a mistake, and assigns as the true reason of their bondage, 
that they had sold themselves by their sins. The blame of their 
misfortune rests upon themselves. He is ready to redeem, but 
from them He receives no response. This fine poetic representa- 
tion of a sad condition is worded as follows : 

Thus saith Jehovah: 
Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, 
Wherewith I have put her away? 

Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? 
Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, 
And for your transgressions was your mother put away. 

Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? 
When I called, was there none to answer? 
Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? 
Or have I no power to deliver? 
Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, 
I make the rivers a wilderness: 

Their fish stink for lack of water, and die of thirst. 
I clothe the heavens with blackness, 
And I make sackcloth their covering. 

This message evidently implies a very weak 
ImpUed S confidence in Jehovah among the exiles. The fact 

that there was no one to answer when He called, 
indicates that the prophetic work was not taking a very deep 
hold on the popular thought. The prophet found it necessary 
to call for the proof that Jehovah had wholly abandoned His 
people and put them permanently out of His possession. He is 
forced to argue that Jehovah is able to redeem even out of the 



352 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

hands of powerful oppressors ; and to establish this he urges that 
Jehovah is equal to the task of drying up the sea or of clothing 
the heavens with blackness. If he cannot convince the Israelites 
that their God can redeem from the exile, the prophet can do 
nothing for his people, and their Messianic future is a hopeless 
blank. 

A much longer plea for Jehovah's faithful- 
at Hand mP ^ ness to I srae l tnan the preceding has been in- 
serted between two passages concerning the 
Servant, and includes Isa. li. 1— lii. 12. It is really a series of 
appeals in which the ability, righteousness and purposes of 
Jehovah are enlisted in Israel's behalf. In the quotation below, 
li. 9-16 is omitted, partly because the original text is uncertain, 
and partly because the thought is nearly the same as that already 
noted in the previous passages. The message is addressed chiefly 
to those among the people that were most inclined to hearken to 
Jehovah 's call to a righteous life. The literary form will be seen 
in the following arrangement : 

Hear me, ye that follow after righteousness, 
Ye that seek Jehovah: 
Look at the rock whence ye were hewn, 
And the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. 
Look at Abraham your father, 
And at Sarah who bare you; 
For when he was but one I called him, 
And I blessed him, and made him many. 
For Jehovah hath comforted Zion; 
He hath comforted all her waste places, 
And made her wilderness like Eden, 
And her desert like the garden of Jehovah; 
Joy and gladness shall be found therein, 
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. 

Attend unto me, O my people; 
And give ear to me, O my nation: 
For a law shall go forth from me, 

And I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples. 
My righteousness is near, 
My salvation is gone forth, 
And mine arms shall judge the peoples; 
The Isles shall wait for me, 
And on mine arm shall they trust. 
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, 
And look upon the earth beneath; 



THE FAITHFULNESS OF JEHOVAH. 355 

For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, 

And the earth shall wax old like a garment; 

And they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: 

But my salvation shall be for ever, 

And my righteousness shall not be abolished. 

Hear me, ye that know righteousness, 
The people in whose heart is my law; 
Fear ye not the reproach of men, 
Neither be ye dismayed at their revilings. 
For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, 
And the worm shall eat them like wool; 
But my righteousness shall be for ever, 
And my salvation unto all generations. 



Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, 
That hast drunk at the hands of Jehovah the cup of his wrath: 
Thou hast drunken, drained the bowl of the cup of staggering, 
There is none to guide her 

Arcong all the sons whom she hath brought forth; 
Neither is there any that taketh her by the hand 
Among all the sons that she hath brought up. 
These two things are befallen thee; 
Who shall bemoan thee? 

Desolation and destruction, and famine and the sword; 
How shall I comfort thee? 
Thy sons have fainted, 
They lie at the head of all the streets, 
As an antelope in a net; 
They arc full of the wrath of Jehovah, 
The rebuke of thy God. 

Therefore hear now this, 
Thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: 
Thus saith thy Lord Jehovah, 

And thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, 
Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of staggering, 
Even the bowl of the cup of my wrath; 
Thou shalt no more drink it again: 

And I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee, 
That have said to thy soul, 
Bow down, that we may go over; 
And thou hast laid thy back as the ground, 
An. I as the street, to them that go over. 

Awake, awake, put on thy strength, Zion; 
Tut on thy beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city; 
For henceforth there shall be no more come into thee' 
The uncircumcised and t he unclean. 
Shake thyself from the dust; 



354 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Arise, sit mi thy throne, Jerusalem: 
Loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck. 
<) captive daughter of Zion. 

For thus saith Jehovah, 
Ye were sold for noughl : 
And ye shall be redeemed without money. 
For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, 

My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there: 
And tlie Assyrian hath oppressed them without cause. 
Now, therefore, what do I here, saith Jehovah. 
Seeing that my people is taken away for nought? 
■ They that rule over them shout, saith Jehovah. 
And my name continually all the day is blasphemed. 
Therefore my people shall know my name, 
Therefore in that day, that I am he who saith, Behold it is I. 

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him 
That bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peaee, 

That bringeth good tidings of good, 

That publisheth salvation, 

That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 

Hark! Thy watchmen! 

They lift up the voice; they sing together; 

For they shall see eye to eye. 

When Jehovah returneth to Zion. 

Break forth into joy, 

Sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; 

For Jehovah hath comforted his people. 

He hath redeemed Jerusalem. 

Jehovah hath bared his holy arm before all the nations; 

And all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God. 

Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, 
ToUch no unclean thing; 
Go ye oat of the midst of her; 

i 1. arise yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. 
For ye shall not go out in haste. 
Neither shall ye go out by flight; 
For Jehovah will go before you. 
And the God of Israel will be your rearward. 

No doubt one of the objections x offered by 

A . ss ^ rai \ C2 many Israelites to a return to Palestine was 

of Numbers. ■ 

that they were too few to repeople a large and 

desolate land: and the prophet answers this by pointing to the 
power of God to give them numbers as exemplified by the multi- 
plication of Abraham's posterity. The emphasis is on Jehovah, 
"1 called him. and I blessed him, and. made him many," "Je- 



THE FAITHFULNESS OF JEHOVAH. 355 

hovah hath comforted Zion. " It is He that has resolved to turn 
the wilderness into an Eden and the desert into a garden of His 
own for Israel's benefit. This will be done by increasing the 
people till they will restore the land to its former fruitfulness 
and glory, and fill it with "joy and gladness," with "thanks- 
giving and the voice of melody. ' ' 

Among Israel's deepest sorrows in the Exile 
Salvation was tne cons t an t feeling that they were suffer- 

ing cruelties without regard to justice and right. 
The law of righteousness formerly known by the Israelites was 
either unknown to their oppressors or wholly disregarded. It is 
most consoling to learn that Jehovah will send forth His law 
and establish justice among the Gentiles, and that even the Isles, 
the coastlands of the Mediterranean, will wait for Jehovah and 
trust in Him. His law is righteous, and His salvation means 
deliverance from tyranny. But some person may say that a 
period of such righteousness as that of Jehovah among the 
nations will be very brief ; but the prophet answers, Look at 
the heavens and the earth, how enduring they are ; and yet these 
shall vanish like smoke and all their inhabitants perish, but the 
salvation of Jehovah shall be forever and His righteousness never 
be abolished. It can be hardly doubted that here he has a view 
of the universal and imperishable kingdom of the Messiah. 



The reproaches from Israel's captors and task- 
of Relief. 



masters have embittered their lives sadly and 



long; but Jehovah promises that their revilers 
shall perish as a woolen garment is eaten by the moth. Israel 
has drunken from the bowl of Jehovah's wrath on account of her 
sins; and when destruction came upon her, there were none of 
her sons able to deliver her, since they were all full of the divine 
Avi ath, and snared as antelopes in a net. Their humiliation has 
been most abject; for their captors have compelled them to lie 
face downward on the street, while they marched over them 
treading on their backs. Bu1 the time of this affliction is past; 
and now Jehovah is about to give the bowl of staggering into the 
hands of Hie enemy, and Hie day of Israel's escape is at hand. 



3$6 

THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The enslavement of Jehovah's people has been 
Liberty. comparable to that of a captive girl, clad in the 

meanest and seantiesl raiment, and held by a 
chain fastened to an iron hand about her neck; but now Zion is 
called to put on her beautiful garments, to shake off the dust of 
her toils and humiliation, and to loose the bonds of her neck. 
Jerusalem, here the personification of Israel, is invited to arise 
and be enthroned with royal ceremony. When Israel was en- 
slaved, no price was paid: and so she shall be redeemed from 
bondage without an offer of money. The poverty of the people 
will therefore lie no hindrance to their release. Indeed, freedom 
will not come about in the usual manner, but by the hand of 
Jehovah, and that for a very pressing reason; for He gave TTis 
people to their oppressors without price, and instead of being 
honored therefor, His name has been continually blasphemed, lie 
must vindicate His honor among the nations, and this can be 
done most effectively by Israel's redemption. 

The prophet next leads the people in a strain 
We°lcoraed. S of poetic joy in which an imaginary welcome is 

extended to the herald that brings to Zion the 
good news of her salvation. The watchmen of the city behold a 
messenger coming, and break forth into singing; for what they 
have longed to see, namely, Jehovah returning to Zion. they now 
see "eye to eye," that is, as close at hand as when one eye looks 
into another.* In this connection the prophet emphasizes the 
conspicuity of Jehovah's deed in redeeming Jerusalem. He "has 
bared his holy arm before all the nations, and all the ends of 
the earth see the salvation of our (rod." This is in harmony 
witli He complete vindication of His honor in the preceding 
strophe. It does not signify the preaching of the Messianic 
gospel throughout the world, since the redemption is only that 
of Israel from captivity: but it does indicate Jehovah's interest 
in making Bimself known among the nations. This presages 

The Hebrews 'Mil tint use the words "eye to eye'" in the - 
(if unity or harmony of opinion, as we often use them; but their use 
it illustrated in Num. 1-1:14, where Jehovah is said to be seen "eye to 
eye." or. as usually translated, "face to face." 



THE FAITHFULNESS OF JEHOVAH. 357 

either their fortune or fate, according as they array themselves 
for or against this universal Ruler. 

Turning again into an exhortation to the peo- 

Urged tUrG P^ e ' tne P ro Phet cries, "Depart ye, depart ye, 

go ye out from thence. ' ' But while he urges them 
forth from Babylon, he would have them understand that it 
is to be no precipitous flight, as when Israel fled from Egypt, 
but rather a stately march under the sacred guidance and protec- 
tion of Jehovah. They are to bear the temple vessels, and there- 
fore must purify themselves from every pollution. When he 
says, "Touch no unclean thing," he probably means that they 
were not to supply themselves with the wealth of the heathen; 
and this is advised for the good reason that Jehovah will go with 
them. He is to go before them, as one that provides for their 
wants; and He will be their rearward as their constant safe- 
guard. Such attention to Israel in the moment of her greatest 
weakness surely signifies that Jehovah has some great duty and 
honor in store for this people ; and what these fortunes can be, 
only the sequel, the Messianic age, can declare. 

A fourth passage, Isa. liv, sets in still larger 

ProsDeritv 16 vista the prosperity of Isreal under the care of 
Jehovah. It is spoken in tender tones, suited 
to convey the "everlasting lovingkindness " to the "afflicted, 
tempest-tossed and uncomforted" nation. It reads as follows: 

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; 
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, 
Thou that didst not travail with child: 
For more are the children of the desolate 
Than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah. 
Enlarge the place of thy tent, 

And let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; 
Spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. 
For thou shalt spread abroad on the right and on the left; 
And thy seed shall possess the nations, 
And make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 

Pear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: 
Neither be thou confounded; 
For thou shalt not be put to shame: 
For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; 
And the reproach of thy widowhood 
Thou shalt remember no more. 
For thy Maker is thy husband; 



358 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Jehovah of hosts is his name: 

And the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; 

The God of the whole earth shall he be called. 

For Jehovah called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, 

And as a wife of youth, when she is east off, saith thy God. 

Poi a small moment have T forsaken thee; 

But with great mercies will I gather thee. 

In overflowing wrath T hid my face from thee for a moment; 

But with everlasting favor I have mercy on thee, 

Saith Jehovah thy Redeemer. 

For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; 
For as I swore that the waters of Noah 
Shall no more go over the earth, 

So have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke the*. 
For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; 
But my mercy shall not depart from thee, 
Neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, 
Saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee. 

O thou afflicted, tempest-tossed and uncomforted, 
Behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, 
And lay thy foundations with sapphires. 
And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, 
And thy gates of carbuncles, 
And all thy border of precious stones. 
And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; 
And great shall be the peace of thy children. 
In righteousness shalt thou Vie established: 
Thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; 
And from terror, for it shall not come near thee. 
Behold, they may conspire — it is not of me; 
Whoever shall conspire against thee shall fall because of thee. 
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, 
And bringeth forth a weapon for his work; 
And I have created the waster to destroy. 

Xo weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; [demn. 

And every tongue rising against thee in judgment thou shalt con- 
This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, 
And their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah. 

The condition of Israel in the Exile was most 
Growth in unfavorable to give encouragement respecting 

their growth in numbers. They were scattered 
through many provinces, had little dealing or communication 
with each other, and must have supposed that their population 
was being still wasted as at the beginning of their captivity. 
They probably did not know how rapidly they were multiplying, 



THE FAITHFULNESS OF JEHOVAH. 35Q 

and thought of the nation as a barren wife ; but. the prophet 
affirms that they were increasing more than when in their own 
land. As a family tent is enlarged to admit the increasing 
number of children, Israel must prepare for a great future. Her 
children shall spread abroad in every direction, not only to fill 
up the deserted cities of Palestine, but sufficiently to take pos- 
session of the nations. In only a small way was this literally 
fulfilled. If Israel had become faithful to Jehovah, and thus, 
fulfilled the condition doubtless assumed for the promise, it 
might have come to pass ; but what Christ has done in reaching 
the nations and bringing them under his control may be credited 
to the fulfilment of this prophecy, since in the thought of the 
prophets he does the work of his nation. 

Again the figure of Israel as a deserted wife 
Consolation. . 

is used to convey Jehovah s consolations. The, 

shame of her youth" doubtless refers to her service to the 

Egyptians, while "the reproach of her widowhood" is elearly 

the Babylonian exile. Her Husband is Jehovah, who is also her- 

Redeemer; and though she may have deemed herself forsaken 

and cast off, she is to be gathered with her children in the spirit 

of great mercy. It was a momentary wrath by which she was 

exiled, but with everlasting love she shall be brought back to the 

divine arms. Surely such assurances ought to heal her sorrows 

and quicken her faith. 

At the close of the deluge in the days of Noah 

Mercv° ® ^ ^ 00 ^ oa ^ n ^ a ^ suc ^ a ^ 00( ^ should not be 

repeated; and so now He has sworn that He 
will not continue His anger to Israel. We have record of the 
former oath (Gen. 9:9-17) described in the form of a covenant; 
but of this latter oath we have no record but this prophetic 
statement. It is designed to be Jehovah's strongest pledge of 
mercy. Even the mountains and hills will sooner be removed 
than His lovingkindness. It is a covenant of peace, an irrevoc- 
able agreement in which the loyalty of the people shall meet the; 
favor of God. 



36O THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The future is to bring a great contrast with 
Contrast. 



the present. Zion is now "afflicted, tempest- 



tossed and uncomf orted ; " but she shall be 
adorned with glittering wealth as the gift of Jehovah's love. 
Her foundations, stones, pinnacles and gates shall be set witli 
precious gems, while even the border of her land shall be marked 
with jewels. But what can snob possessions avail if the Jews 
be surrounded with greedy enemies that will conspire to seize 
their property and reduce them again to servitude? To meet 
such a dread, the prophet promises that in their righteousness 
they shall be so firmly established that no conspiring foe shall 
be able to smite them with terror. Jehovah is competent to pro- 
tect: for He has created the smith that forms the weapon and 
the waster that wields it, and therefore" knows that no weapon 
formed against Zion will be effective. Not even a tongue lifted 
against her shall escape rebuke. Such is to be the heritage of a 
people that for mam T years had no estate. 

Such a prophecy is clearly ideal, a rich hyper- 
Prcmhecv ^ole to attract tne h© ar ts of despondent exiles. 

It reminds us of the closing section of the book 
of Ezekiel. It presents Jehovah's good will and good purposes 
toward Israel, but it is in poetic and materialistic forms, not 
intended to be literally fulfilled; but had Israel proved worthy, 
she would have received far greater blessings, not to say that 
Ibis prefigured the infinitely greater riches that she has actually 
found in Christ. 

4. Promises to the Righteous. 

An address, including chapters lvi. and lvii. 
and Eu°nuc^ erS °^ I sa i an > begins and closes with promises to 
the upright, while the portion between these 
parts consists of a protest against the greed and cruelties of 
wicked men. The promises have a Messianic element that de- 
serves attention. The opening paragraphs offer divine welcome 
and blessing to foreigners that join themselves to Jehovah and to 
eunuchs that keep His word. The message begins with general 



PROMISES TO THE RIGHTEOUS. 36 1 

-exhortations to righteousness, and this is followed by a special 
word to each of these two classes. 

Thus saith Jehovah: 
Keep ye justice, and do righteousness; 
For my salvation is near to come, 
And my righteousness to be revealed. 
Blessed is the man that doeth this, 
And the son of man that holdeth it fast; 
That keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, 
And keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 

Neither let the foreigner, 
That hath joined himself to Jehovah, speak, saying, 
Jehovah "will surely separate me from his people; 
Neither let the eunuch say, 
Behold, I am a dry tree. 

For thus saith Jehovah of the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, 
And choose the things that please me, 
And hold fast my covenant: 
Unto them will I give 
In my house and within my walls 
A memorial and a name 
Better than of sons and of daughters; 
I will give them an everlasting name, 
That shall not be cut off. 

Also the foreigners that join themselves to Jehovah, 
To serve him and love the name of Jehovah, to be his servants, 
Every one that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, 
And holdeth fast my covenant; 
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, 
And make them joyful in my house of prayer: 
Their burnt -offerings and their sacrifices 
Shall be accepted upon mine altar; 
For my house shall be called 
A house of prayer for all peoples. 
The Lord Jehovah, 

Who gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, 
Yet will I gather others to him, 
Besides his own that are gathered. 

These words contain the following suggestions 
Vaiue^ of Messianic character: (1) An upright life is 

urged on the ground that Jehovah's salvation 
from the Exile is near, and especially that His righteousness is 
about to be revealed; and thiscanhardlymeansimplythe personal 
righteousness of C4od in His dealing with Israel, though He is 
always the example of righteous character, but rather the right- 



362 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

eousness which He will require in connection with the return to 
the land of Palestine. Such a righteousness is a part of the Mes- 
sianic aim. I - I Personal worth after the return shall no longer 
be estimated by the number of descendants, but by virtues and 
deeds which shall bring even to those who are not heads of fami- 
lies a kind of memorials that are more enduring than posterity. 
It is the work of the Messianic age to develop the importance 
of the individual life. (3) The reception and welcome given to 
foreigners are based on the divine intention to make the altar 
of Jehovah a worshiping-place for all men, and this can mean 
nothing less than an offer to the Gentiles to share in the religious 
privileges of the Hebrews. It is notable that throughout this 
prophecy emphasis is laid on the keeping of Jehovah's covenant 
by the individual, which corresponds to the new covenant fore- 
told by Jeremiah (33:34, 35), which is not national, but indi- 
vidual. 

The latter portion of this address, Isa. lvii.14- 

ContritT f0rt f ° r 21 > offers comforts t0 those amcm g the people 
Israelites. °f Jehovah that turn toward Him with humble 

and contrite heart. Jehovah would have every 
stumbling-block removed from their way, and especially have 
them know that His wrath will not continue forever. It is there- 
fore a word of hope to meet the discouragements which the new 
duty of returning to Palestine forces them to consider. 

And lie will say, 
Gist ye up, <ast ye up, prepare the way, 

Take up the stumbling-bloek out of the way of my people. 
Fur thus saith the high and lofty One 
That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: 
I dwell in the high and holy place, 

With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, 
To -revive the spirit of the humble, 
And to revive the heart of the contrite. 

For I will not contend for ever, 
Neither will I be always wroth; 
For the spirit would faint before me, 
And the souls that I have made. 
For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, 
And I smote him; I hid my face and was wroth; 
And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. 
I have seen his ways, and will heal him; 
I will lead him also, 



PROMISES TO THE RIGHTEOUS. 363 

And restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. 

I create the fruit of the lips: 
Peace, peace, to him that is far off 
And to him that is near, saith Jehovah; 
And I will heal him. 

But the wicked are like the troubled sea; 
For it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt. 
There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. 

It is here promised that Jehovah will order 
Ming-block"™' the castill g U P of a highway, which, as the 
parallelism shows, means the removal of the 
stumbling-block from the way of His people. The following con- 
text reveals this stumbling-block to be the wrath of God 
that brought on the Exile, and which during the Exile 
has seemed unabated. It must have been a great dis- 
couragement to the exiles when asked to obey His com- 
mand; for who would wish to enrol in the service of an 
angry God? Such wrath would stand as an insuperable obsta- 
cle across the path of the Israelites when invited to return to 
their former land. Hence the figure of preparing a way clear 
before them. Jehovah asserts that His wrath had good grounds 
when it arose ; but now its occasion has past, and it will subside. 

Jehovah first announces His exaltation. He 

Condescension. ™ " the hi S h a » d ^ °» e >" dwelli »§' m'ihe 
"high and holy place;" and yet He abides with 
him "that is of a contrite and humble spirit." This need not 
mean the spirit of a great sinner who is now overcome with sor- 
row ; but on the contrary, it may be a very upright man, but who 
is not obstinate and self-willed against the commands of God. 
Affliction should bring the worthy spirit into such a humility as 
would rejoice to sink all else in a flood of delight to do the 
divine will. Jehovah perceives the necessity of pouring hope 
and comfort into such souls, lest if they faint, there be no others 
suited to carry forward the divine purposes to their consumma- 
tion. This is the force of the present prophecy, and its bearing on 
the exilic conditions and also on the Messianic plan is apparent. 
The A distinct contrast is drawn between the up- 

Contrast. right and the wicked. To the one come the calls 

of peace, peace ! For the other, there is no peace. The upright 
whether far off or near, may come and find healing and rest; but 



364 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

the wicked, like the restless sea. must suffer a perpetual turmoil. 
The baseness of the wicked in the Exile is described in the por- 
tion of the address preceding these verses; and it is certainly a 
revolting picture. They are fully warned by the prophet, but 
only scoff at his words. They "make a wide mouth, and put out 
the tongue" in proud derision of Jehovah's message. On this 
account the contrite and humble are chosen and promised rest 
and peace after all their exilic struggles. The worthy are made 
to understand that Jehovah will condescend to the humble, and 
deal graciously with them, and will reserve His wrath only for 
those whose obstinacy thwarts His sacred love. While this char- 
acter of Jehovah may have been often exhibited in earlier pe- 
riods of Israel's history; yet perhaps it was new to the exiles, 
and foretokened to them a glorious future. 

5. The Future Glory of Zion. Isa. Ix. 

The blessing of Jehovah upon Zion is pre- 
Po g m sented in ten strophes composing a poem of rare 

beauty. After the introductory strophe an- 
nouncing that the light of Jehovah has risen upon the favored 
city, her children are described as returning from the lands of 
their exile, laden with the wealth of the nations and helped on 
their way by their former oppressors whose very kings hence- 
forth become their servants. The last three strophes disclose 
Jehovah's blessing in the form of peace and light in recognition 
of their faithful and righteous character. The following ar- 
rangement will reveal the literary composition : 

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, 
And the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. 
For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 
And gross darkness the peoples; 
But Jehovah will arise upon thee, 
And his glory shall be seen upon thee. 
And nations shall come to thy light, 
And kings to the brightness of thy rising. 

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see; 
They all assemble together, they come to thee; 
Thy sons shall come from far, 
And thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. 
Then shalt thou see and be radiant, 
And thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; 



THE FUTURE GLORY OP ZION. 36^ 

Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, 
The wealth of the nations shall come unto thee. 

The multitude of camels shall cover thee, 
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; 
All they from Sheba shall come, 
They shall bring gold and frankincense, 
And shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah. 
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered unto thee;. 
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee; 
They shall come up to acceptance on mine altar; 
And I will glorify the house of my glory. 

Who are these that fly as a cloud, 
And as the doves to their windows? 
Surely the Isles shall wait for me, 
And the ships of Tarshish first, 
To bring thy sons from far, 
Their silver and their gold with them,. 
For the name of Jehovah thy God, 
And for the Holy One of Israel, 
Because he hath glorified thee. 

And foreigners shall build up thy walls, 
And their kings shall minister unto thee: 
For in my wrath I smote thee, 
But in my favor have I had- mercy on thee. 
Thy gates also shall be open continually; 
They shall not be shut day nor night; 

That men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, 
And their kings led captive. 

For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; 
Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. 

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, 
The fir-tree, the pine and the box-tree together, 
To beautify the place of my sanctuary; 
And I will make the place of my feet glorious. 
Ami the sons of thy tormentors shall come bending to thee, 
And all thy despisers shall bow down at the soles of thy feet,. 
And they shall call thee, The City of Jehovah, 
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 

Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, 
So that no man passed through thee, 
1 will make thee an eternal excellency, 
A joy of many generations. 

Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, 
And shalt suck the breasts id' kin. us; 
And thou shalt know that I, Jehovah, am thy Savior, 
And Thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 



366 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

For brass I will briny gold, 
And for iron J will bring silver. 
And for wood brass, and for stones iron; 
I will also make thy officers peace. 
And thine exactors righteousness. 
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land. 
Desolation nor destruction within thy borders; 
But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, 
And thy gates Praise. 

The sun shall he no more thy light by day; 
Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: 
But Jehovah will lie unto thee an everlasting light. 
And thy God thy glory. 
Thy sou shall no more go down, 
Neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; 
For Jehovah will be thine everlasting light, 
And the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 

Thy people also shall be all righteous; 
They shall inherit the land for ever. 
The branch of my planting, the work of my hands, 
That I may be glorified. 
The little one shall become a thousand, 
And the small one a strong nation; 
T, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time. 

The emphatic thought throughout this poem 

A NotciT)l6 • • • 

Distinction * s * na t Zion is exalted over all the other na- 

tions of the earth, and that this is brought about 
by the especial favor and help of Jehovah. This cannot signify 
that Jehovah was held by the prophet to be a national God, 
limited to a particular land or people; for this prophecy implies 
that Jehovah will have such a control among the nations that 
lie will cause them to contribute to Israel's prosperity. He is a 
universal God, but showing special favor. Whether this special 
favor is an instance of partiality or not, depends upon whether 
oi- hoi the special favor is for universal good. If this utterance 
be compared with those concerning Jehovah's Servant, it must 
lie clear that Zion was expected to bring light ami redemption 
to the whole world. Only such an end could justify the distinc- 
tion to which Zion is to be advanced. 



Optimistic 
Prophecy. 



Nowhere in the Old Testament may be found 
a line;' example of prophetic optimism than in 
this poem, and in no oilier place is its nature 



REMAKEIAGE OF ZION TO JEHOVAH. 367 

more apparent. The prophet assumes that his people are in that 
worst of national conditons, scattered among the nations as 
exiles; and yet he speaks nothing but cheer. He seems to see 
no discouragement in the tyranny with which they are oppressed, 
the poverty in which they are entangled, or the desolation of 
their homeland which they must overcome. He appears oblivious 
of the fact that his people have gone only from bad to worse for 
generations, and expects them suddenly to rise to the highest ex- 
cellence. If he remembers that in Jehovah's wrath they were 
smitten, he anticipates that in His favor they will outstrip all 
their losses. Their misfortunes shall all be transformed into 
blessings, their despair into hope, and their fears into exulta- 
tions of joy. A more remarkable optimism than this has rarely 
commanded the respect of thoughtful men. 

Can some adequate explanation of this spirit 
Explanation. be proposed ? Certainly not on natural grounds. 

There was nothing in the signs of the times that promised such 
a change, either in the Israelites themselves or in the nations 
by whom they were held in bondage. No political event could 
work such a change, involving as it does a complete moral re-, 
formation. No system of education could bring it about, no 
ministry of preachers or prophets, no codes of legal compulsion. 
There was only one power in the universe upon which the opti- 
mist could depend for a fruition of his hopes, and that was Je- 
hovah ; and here he rested all - his confidence. It was to be 
Jehovah that should dispose the nations to return the exiles, to 
laden them with wealth, and to bow submissively at their feet; 
and He above all others was to remove violence, install peace, 
and fill the renewed Zion with incomparable glory. Why Je- 
hovah should do all this, is not here indicated, but must be learned 
from other prophetic messages. 

6. Remarriage of Zion to Jehovah. Isa. Ixii. 

This chapter, which lias been often thought 
The 
Prophecy ^° ^ e connec ted with that which immediately 

precedes, has its prophetic affinities rather 

with chapter Ix. which we have just studied. In three strophes 

the solicitude and purpose of Jehovah regarding Zion are por- 

trayed. While the speaker might he regarded ;is Jehovah, it is 



368 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

more probable that it is the prophet voicing the sentiment of God 
in a vivid form to make the deeper impression. Like Isa. -49:14, 
1.") and 50:1, it is intended to reassure Israel of Jehovah's ra- 
in her ami His intention to endow her with His choicest 
blessings. The following form seems must agreeable to the nature 
of the piece : 

For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, 
A.nd lor Jerusalem's sake will I not rest. 
Until her righteousness go forth as brightness, 
And her salvation as a lamp that burueth. 
And the nations shall see thy righteousness, 
And all kings thy glory; 
And thou shalt be called by a new name, 
Which the mouth of Jehovah shall name. 

Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah. 
And a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; 
Neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: 
But thou shalt be called My delight is iu her. 
And thy land Married. 
For Jehovah delighteth in th.ee, 
And thy land shall be married. 
Tor as a young man marrieth a virgin, 
So shall thy Builder* marry thee; 
And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, 
So shall thy God rejoice over thee. 

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, Jerusalem; 
They shall never hold their peace day nor night : 
Ye that are Jehovah 's remembrancers, take no rest. 
And give him no rest, till he establish, 
And till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 
Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand. 
And by the arm of his strength, (saying) 

Surely I will no more give thy grain as food for thine enemies; 
And foreigners shall not drink thy new w T ine, 

"The English versions follow the present Hebrew text, and translate, 
"So shall thy suns marry thee;" which affords the ridiculous figure of 
suns marrying their mother. Bishop Lowth followed by Cheyne and 
nl hers adopt a Hebrew text that differs only by vowel points from the 
text handed down to us by the Massoretes (5th to 10th cent., A. D.), 
which means "builder" instead of ''sons.'' It makes good sense to say, 
"So shall thy Builder marry thee," and exactly suits the parallel line, 
"So shall thy God rejoi.-e over thee." While we need not condemn the 
English translators, whose business is to express the meaning of the 
text before them, we may for such strong reasons as those just given 

adopt the amended text. 



REMARRIAGE OF ISRAEL TO JEHOVAH. 369 

For which thou hast labored: 

But they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; 

And they that have gathered it shall drink it in my holy courts. 

Go through, go through the gates; 
Prepare ye the way of the people; 
Cast up, cast up the highway; 
Gather out the stones; 
Lift up an ensign for the peoples. 

Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, 
Say ye to the daughter of Zion, 
Behold thy salvation cometh; 
Behold, his reward is with him, 
And his recompense before him. 

And they shall cail them The holy people, The redeemed of Jehovah; 
And thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. 

The figure of marriage has greater force than 
Figure° 6 tne denial °f divorcement in a former address 

(Isa. 50:1); since it is a positive avowal of 
Jehovah's love for Israel and His purpose to prosper and pro- 
tect her. Hardly any other figure could have been chosen that 
would more strongly express the new tie with which Jehovah was 
willing to be bound to His people. It was therefore best suited 
to encourage the despairing exiles to trust in the divine help in 
a heroic effort to rebuild the waste cites and regarrison the long 
afflicted land of their fathers. The prophet must have discerned 
that a no less hearty affirmation of God's attachment to Zion 
would recommend the bold promises of wealth and glory which 
he was multiplying in these addresses. Otherwise few would 
believe that a God that had for two generations dealt only death 
and disaster would henceforth fulfil the most extravagant 
promises of blessing. 



The two words that receive heaviest emphasis 
aipnauc 
Words. 



Two Emphatic ^ ^ propheey are the very ones that afford 



the surest clue to the purpose of Jehovah in this 
wonderful overture. They are "righteousness" and "salva- 
tion." It was Israel's sin that brought on her sorrows, and only 
by the path of righteousness can she ever return to Jehovah's 
favor. It is therefore an indispensable condition of her future 
excellence. But it is also necessary to her Messianic career, and 
is hence a vital Messianic element. Israel's salvation from Je- 



370 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

hovah's wrath, which means her rescue from the engulfing cap- 
tivity as well as a deliverance from sin, was no less important. 
The Messianic mission of the people could never be accomplished 
if they remained scattered and dependent upon heathen masters. 
This prophecy therefore makes more clear than many others 
how Jehovah would solve the serious problem of Israel's crisis. 

7. Jerusalem a Scene of Judgment. Isa, Ixv., l.cci. 

Following a lengthy prayer by the righteous 
p Israelites to Jehovah for His mercies, recorded 

in chapters lxiii., lxiv., the present chapters con- 
tain what seems in some respects to be an answer to the prayer, 
and consists mainly of a mingled forecast of doom and blessing 
to be administered in and around the city of Jerusalem. Those 
who persist in idolatry with its immoralities are to be overthrown 
and their dead bodies to be cast out as an abomination to be con- 
sumed by the worm and fire; but to the righteous in Jerusalem 
Jehovah will "extend peace as a river and the glory of the na- 
tions as an overflowing stream." The following extracts contain 
the chief points of Messianic value : 

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; 
And the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 
But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; 
For, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; 
And there shall be heard in her no more 
The voice of weeping and the voice of crying. 
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, 
Nor an old man that hath not filled his days; 
For the child shall die a hundred years old, 
And the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. 

And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; 
And shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 
They shall not build, and another inhabit; 
They shall not plant, and another eat; 
For as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, 
And my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 
They shall not labor in vain, 

Nor bring forth for calamity; V 

For they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, 
And their offspring with them. 



JERUSALEM A SCENE OP JUDGMENT. 37 1 

And it shall come to pass that, 
Before they call I will answer; 
And while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, 
And the lion shall eat straw like an ox; 

And dust shall be the serpent's food, [Jehovah. 

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith 

— Isa. 65:17-25. 

Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, 
And be glad for her, all ye that love her: 
Eejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; 
That ye may suck and be satisfied 
With the breasts of her consolations; 
That ye may milk out and be delighted 
With the abundance of her glory. 
For thus saith Jehovah, 

Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, 
And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: 
And ye shall suck thereof; 
Ye shall be borne upon the side, 
And shall be dandled upon the knees. 

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; 
And ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 
And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, 
And your bones shall nourish as the tender grass: 
And the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; 
And he will have indignation against his enemies. — Isa. 66:10-14. 

It is coming that I will gather all nations and tongues; 

And they shall come, and shall see my glory. 

And I will set a sign among them, 

And I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, 

To Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, 

To the Isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, 

Neither have seen my glory; 

And they shall declare my glory among the nations. 

And they shall bring all your brethren 
Out of all nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, 
Upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, 
And upon mules and upon dromedaries, 
To my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, 
As the children of Israel bring their oblation 
In a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah. 
And of them also will I take for priests and Levites, saith Jehovah. 

For as the new heavens and the new earth, 
Which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, 
So shall your seed and your name remain. 

And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, 
Ami from one sabbath to another, 



3/2 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Shall all flcsli come to worship before me, saith Jehovah. 

Ami they shall go forth. 

And look upon the dead bodies of the men 

That have transgressed against me: 

Fur their worm shall not die. 

Neither shall their fire be quenched; 

And they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. — Isa. 66:18-24. 

Twice in this prophecy the author speaks of 

New Heavens the "new heavens and the new earth" without 
and New Earth. .... 

definitely explaining what he means. The eon- 

texl in tlie first instance (65:14-22) shows that he cannot mean 

;i literal recreation of heaven and earth, hut a new condition of 
things as respects the chosen people, so that it will seem to be a 
new world to them. A literal recreation would not harmonize 
with the trend of thought hitherto developed; for everywhere he 
has spoken of the wonderful change which was to take place 
when Israel should return to Jerusalem. So now he contemplates 
a world in which people grow old and die ; in which sinners live 
a hundred years, and then are cursed: in which people build 
houses and plant vineyards, and in which the lives of the people 
are as the age of a tree. While this is certainly superior to the 
Jerusalem of the past, in which crime shortened life and made 
it bitter, resulting even in the overthrow of the nation, yet it is 
not that age beyond the final judgment, beyond the growth of 
the wheat with the tares, and therefore in that kingdom which 
flesh and blood cannot inherit. 

It can hardly be doubted that in 2 Pet. 3 :13, 
tament^Idea * n ^ s verv l ,assa £'e is referred to as a promise yet 

unfulfilled. After speaking of the day of God 
when the heavens shall be dissolved and the elements melt with 
fervent heat, he adds. "But, according to his promise, we look 
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous- 
ness." Now it is evident that the apostle expresses anticipations 
which this prophecy strictly interpreted does not compass. How 
then can he refer to it? This is explainable only by noting the 
limitations of this prophecy. The difficulty is not with the New 
Testament writer, but it lies in the fact that no prophet knows 
just when or in what manner the thing which he foresees will 



A SCENE OF JUDGMENT. 373 

take place. He here describes what has not been fulfilled, but 
what he expected to occur immediately after the Exile. He 
foresaw that God would bring about a new world far better than 
the past had been, but did not see that the perversity of men 
would delay it indefinitely, nor was he able to separate that new 
age from that immediately before him.* In these respects the 
New Testament writer has a clearer vision and better .perspective. 
This is another example of the gradual unfolding of divine reve- 
lation. Compare also Rev. 21:1. 

The The gathering of all nations and tongues and 

Gathering of their seeing the glory of God are foretold, but 

such a gathering has not come to pass. How 
are we to understand the message! It is an ideal prophetic 
scene. The prophet pictures the coming of many nations to de- 
stroy Jerusalem; but Jehovah "sets a sign among them," by 
accomplishing such an overthrow of their forces as that an 
escape is miraculous. He then sends the escaped ones as mes- 
sengers to the distant parts of the world to tell of Jehovah's 
famous deed; and the result will be that the nations will send 

*The comment of Delitzsch on this prophecy is worthy of study: "The 
Old Testament prophet is not yet able to discriminate the elements in 
the future which the seer of the Apocalypse separates into their succes- 
sive periods. Of a blessed world beyond, the Old Testament in general 
teaches nothing. »Beyond this world lies Hades. A heaven with blessed 
men is unknown to the Old Testament. Around the throne of God 
there are only angels, not men. And before the Risen One has ascended 
to heaven, heaven is really not open for men, and hence also there is; 
no heavenly Jerusalem, the descent of which upon earth can be hoped 
for. Accordingly in any case, in Old Testament prophecy, the eschatolog- 
ical idea of the new Cosmos coalesces with that of the millennium. It 
is exactly the same with Ixvi. 23 f. Keil rightly requires us to measure 
this passage by the same rule as lxv. 19 ff. For in both cases what is. 
depicted lies beyond the new creation of heaven and earth, lxv. 17; 
lxvi. 22. In neither case, however, does the prophet depict what lies 
beyond in the colors of this world; on the contrary, in both eases, to 
his perspective, the final renewal of the world melts into one with the 
prelude of that renewal in this present order of things. It is not till 
we reach the New Testament that the new creation enters as a parti- 
tion wall between here and yonder; Old Testament prophecy brings the 
new creation itself into this world, and knows no Jerusalem of the 
blessed world beyond distinct from the new Jerusalem of the millen- 
nium." — Delitzsch' Commentary on Isaiah. 



374 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

to Jerusalem all the Israelite captives as if they were sacred 
oblations to God. It must be evident that the object of such a 
vision is to impress Israel with the fact that a return from cap- 
tivity is not an impossible thing in the hands of God. If we ask. 
why this did not happen as described, our answer must be that a 
poetic, idealistic vision, intended only to set a thought, should 
not be expected to be literally realized. The real element in the 
utterance, that God will care for His people, that lie will accom- 
plish His purposes with Israel in spite of all seeming obstacles, 
and will bring even His enemies to be His servants, is being ful- 
filled abundantly. 

The judgment which these chapters depict is 
The Judgment. no t the final judgment of the New Testament ; 
but, as the destruction of the gathered nations 
just considered, it is conceived to be a punishment of idolatry 
and a vindication of Jehovah's interest in righteous Israel. In 
like manner the dead bodies consumed by the worm that shall 
not die and the fire that is not quenched, are not intended to 
present those who are to suffer the fires of eternal perdition; 
but rather these are the bodies of the slain of the gathered na- 
tions, lying outside the city of Jerusalem and being burned as a 
riddance. It is most natural, however, that these strong, poetic 
figures should be employed also by New Testament writers to 
express the doom of the wicked under the last judgment. 

The Close of It is something of a disappointment that the 

the Book. hook of Isaiah which contains much that is ex- 

quisitely beautiful, should close with paragraphs 
in which the joys of Israel alternate with the doom of the wicked 
and the destruction of dead bodies. We must not neglect the 
fact that much of this doom falls upon Israelites themselves 
who have the honor to hear these gracious promises, but who turn 
from them to the abominations of the heathen with whom they 
have mingled during the Exile. The last chapter is but the in- 
evitable sequel of all that has gone before; for if God promises 
good, it must be on the condition of faithfulness to Him, which 
some are too obstinate to accept. Their downfall cannot be 



PROPHECIES OP JOEL, 375> 

averted. They willed it; who can withhold it? It was not the' 
pleasure of God, nor was it the pleasure of the righteous; but- 
it was their own perversity, for which they, and no others, are 
responsible. The picture may be- sad, even disappointing ; and 
yet it is the sure issue of every gracious approach of God to man. 
The lesson is Messianic. The whole history of Israel, the strug- 
gling out of exile back into divine favor, the persevering appeals 
of the prophetic preacher, the wavering but growing faith, the 
allurements of unrestrained vices, the discouragements besetting 
the better choice, the final separation of the true from the faith- 
less and the recompense of both — all compose a wondrous parallel 
to that conflict which attends the gospel proclamation today in 
every community to which it is carried. It is a great book, 
which, like a metalic mirror, is made the brighter because it 
was wrought out under the heat of Israel's greatest crisis, and 
most perfectly reflects that age, in which first the Lord -Himself, 
and then every man, is brought to a personal crisis in the face 
of supreme duty. 

Section VI. Prophecies of the Spirit and Vindication. 



The time at which the prophecies of Joel were 
of Joel. 



produced is uncertain; but it is generally con- 



ceded that it was either before the beginning 
of the eighth century B. C, or as late as the Persian period of 
Jewish history. The book assigns no date for its own composition, 
or for the work of the prophet whose name it bears. It makes 
no reference to Syria, Assyria, or Babylon, which are frequently 
mentioned. by the prophets from the eighth to the sixth century; 
and since the nation of Judah was in a desperate condition at 
'the time of Joel's ministry, it is probable that he would have 
named one of these nations if he had written at a time when 
their power was seriously felt in Palestine. The book does 
mention the Phoenicians and Philistines (3:4), the Egyptians 
and Edomites (3:19) ; but in such a manner as to leave the date 
still undefined. Since the book refers to no king of Judah, but 
makes emphatic mention of priests, some scholars have insisted 



376 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

that it belongs to the Persian period, when Jndah had no king, 
and tlie high priest was the nation's leader. This view is the 
more supported recently by an accumulation of linguistic ma- 
terials that seem inconsistent with the time of Amos and Hosea. 
It is fair to say that so much may be urged in favor of either 
date that agreement among scholars has not been reached. 

1. The Outpouring of the Spirit. Joel ii. 28-32. 

Whatever may be the period of Joel's min- 
istry, it was at a time of great distress by a 
plague of locusts which had devastated the land (1:2-8) ; which 
was followed by a severe drought with which the country was 
parched (1:9-12) ; and then the nation is called to repentance, 
fasting and a solemn assembly (1:13, 14). Joel announces that 
"The day of Jehovah is at hand." that it is a time of ruin and 
woe which may be averted only by penitence and prayer (1:15- 
2:17). It seems that the people promptly yielded to this ex- 
hortation, and the prophet describes the fulness of the divine 
blessings which follow : the locusts are driven away, the former 
and latter rains of the autumn and early winter fall abundantly, 
and Jehovah is among his people (2:18-27). Joel then gives the 
following prediction : 

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my 
Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 
and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will 
I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in 
the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be 
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and 
terrible day of Jehovah eometh. And it shall come to pass, that whoso- 
ever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in Mount 
Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah 
hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call." 

There is a beautiful adaptation in this proph- 
ecy to the conditions of the people. The nat- 
ural drought was due to a spiritual drought, because the famine 
was understood to be a judgment sent upon the people because 
they did not duly recognize .Jehovah. The repentance brought 
a down-pouring of rain; and so also repentance will bring an 



THE OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT. 377 

outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. The giving of the 
rain is represented as a type of the greater gift of the Spirit. 

In meaning, the prophecy is certainly ideal, 
Prophecy an< ^ ^ ence greater than was ever fully realized. 

The Apostle Peter quotes this passage in the 
second chapter of Acts, and applies it to the gift of the Spirit 
on the day of Pentecost; but since not all flesh was present at 
that time, this at best could be only a beginning of fulfilment. 
Strictly the language in Acts (1:26-2:4) limits the gift as re- 
spects its spectacular form to the apostles, but they promise to 
those who accept the gospel that the gift shall be extended to 
i;hem upon obedience (Acts 2:38; cf.5:32). As the world be- 
comes obedient, the gift of the Spirit becomes more nearly uni- 
versal ; hence its universality is also an ideal, and cannot be per- 
fectly realized. It is only in the progress of the Messianic king- 
dom, according to the New Testament teaching, that it can ap- 
proach realization. 

The language of Joel places the outpouring 
Dela^? 11 °^ the Spirit after the restoration of abundant 

fruitage due to the reviving rains, and not nec- 
essarily connected immediately with them. Doubtless, as other 
prophets often do, he employed the historical circumstances as 
a favorable occasion to foretell an event far removed from the 
immediate conditions. We found such to be the case in the 
prophecies of Noah, Judah, David and others. There is no record 
of so remarkable an outpouring of the Spirit during the history 
of the Jews in the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament 
it does not appear during the lifetime of Jesus, nor until the 
ascension and coronation of the Messiah, and it thus becomes 
his royal gift to his citizens. According to a New Testament 
interpretation, ' ' all flesh ' ' means all who enter into the kingdom 
of Christ. In the nature of the case it could not include any 
animals below the human race; and on account of sin and un- 
worthiness, it must include only those who escape iniquity by 
loyalty to Jehovah. In this respect the teaching of Peter on 
Pentecost is the most reasonable and satisfactory solution of the 
prophetic enigma. 



378 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

In the New Testament, distinctions are appar- 
posto ic ent w jjj c ]j ^j s does n0 ^ compass. (1) The be- 

Application. ,»■,«.. ■ , 

stowal or the Spirit on two occasions, and appar- 
ently only two, is called a "baptism." one on the apostles on 
Pentecost ten days after the ascension of Jesus, and the other- 
on the household of Cornelius (Acts 1:5; 2:4; 11:16), in botb- 
eases accompanied by such a power of tongues and prophecy as- 
marked an overwhelming envelopment of the human spirits in 
the divine Spirit. (2) The Spirit attended with supernatural 
powers, healings, prophecy, tongues, and other gifts, was be- 
stowed through the laying on of apostolic hands (Acts 8:19; 
19:6) ; and this also seems to have ceased with the death of the 
apostles. (3) The Spirit was promised to every believer upon 
his primary obedience to the gospel (Acts 2:38; 5:32) ; and this 
is recognized in the church as universal and independent of 
miraculous powers, and with like character may be regarded as 
continuing to this day (Rom. 8:9; Eph. 2:22, et al.). It may be 
presumed that Joel's prophecy includes all of these; and in this: 
very respect he foresees a fulness of divine blessing, which in his. 
own day was enjoyed by only a few prophets. 

It is confessedly difficult to understand just 
■^Wonders " vvnat are tne " won ders in the heavens and in the 
2arth; blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke, 7r 
turning of the sun "into darkness and the moon into blood. ' r ' 
This also appears to be an ideal picture of all nature coming into* 
judgment ; but no such natural phenomena have appeared. The 
earthquake and the darkness at the death of Jesus, together witfe 
many natural obscurations of the sun or moon in later times, do> 
not fill the prophetic description, and hence cannot be accepted 
as fulfilments. Some persons have suggested the fall of Jerusa- 
lem under Nebuchadnezzar or under Titus, but in neither case 
did these wonders appear. It seems better to understand them 
either as a figurative expression for a great change in God's plan 
of dealing with men, or as things yet future and to be realized! 
at the end of the world. To the latter might be urged the objec- 
tion that it makes a violent separation of the outpouring of the 
Spirit and the manifestations of wonders which Joel has placed. 



VINDICxVTION AND PROSPERITY. 379 

together. In favor of the former are the facts that the Hebrews 
often used very strong figures to denote great changes, and that 
when the kingdom of Christ was established, God's former man- 
ner of dealing with the Jews in national form and according to 
Mosaic institutions came to an end, and henceforth he dealt 
with them as individuals and just as with the Gentiles. From the 
national point of view this would be as great and momentous a 
change as the events described would be in the course of nature. 
It is certain that this great change began on the very day on 
which the Spirit was poured out upon the apostles, though its 
consummation did not come until the fall of Jerusalem under 
Titus; for the establishment of the church was the beginning 
of God's new dealing, while the fall of the city was the end of 
the old. 

2. Israel's Vindication and Prosperity. Joel Hi. 

f he Just as the locusts had ravaged the land, so 

Prophecy. also the enemies of Judah had overrun the 

country; and just as the locusts were being- 
swept away, so all these national enemies are to be visited with 
divine judgment. Accordingly, this chapter presents a vivid 
description of the nations gathered together before Jehovah 
awaiting His decision against them. To make the scene more 
striking the valley of Jehoshaphat is cited as the scene of judg- 
ment. This is probably the valley in which were once gathered 
the enemies of Jehoshaphat, the Ammonites, Moabites and 
Edomites, whom Jehovah overthrew without a battle for 
Judah 's relief; on account of which the place was named the 
Valley of Beracah, meaning Valley of Blessing, because Judah 
blessed the Lord for Ilis deliverance (2 Chr. 20:22-26). 
There was, therefore, fitness in selecting this valley for Joel's 
poetic picture of judgment against Judah's enemies. These 
peoples are charged with parting Jehovah's land and selling the 
children of Judah, both boys and girls, into the slavery of dis- 
tan1 nations. The closing verses of, the chapter (11-21) describe 
the prosped ive scene. 

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of 



380 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE 

ih is near in the valley of decision. The sun ami the moon are 
darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. And Jehovah will 
roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens 
and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, 
and a stronghold to the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I 
am Jehovah your God. dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then 
shall Jerusalem he holy, and there shall, no strangers pass through her 
any more. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains 
shad drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all 
the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come 
forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Acacias. 
Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolated wilderness, 
for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed 
innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusa- 
lem from generation to generation. And I will cleanse their blood, that 
I have not cleansed: for Jehovah dwelleth in Zion." 

Poetic and ^ n * s d escr ipti° n i* clearly poetic and ideal,. 

Ideal. as the strong figures of speech plainly attest. 

The darkening f the sun and moon, the shak- 
ing of the heavens and the earth, the dropping of sweet wine 
from the mountains, the flowing of milk from the hills, and the 
fountain flowing from the house of Jehovah across the Jordan 
to the valley of Acacias, all manifest the poetic character of 
the scene. Of course, a literal fulfilment is not to be expected, 
and no such fulfilment has occurred. One by one the wicked 
nations fell, and most of them have ceased to exist; and probably 
their fall may be taken as a type of the final judgment of the 
world in which all the enemies of Jehovah will be overthrown. 
In any case the important feature of the prophecy is the impli- 
cation that Jehovah is with His people, protecting them from 
their enemies, and preserving them unto the accomplishment of 
His good purposes. 

The Messianic elements of this prediction 
Messianic o ■, 

Elements. would seem to be (1) the overthrow of the ene- 

mies of Jehovah, which is to be progressively 
accomplished until its completion at the end of the world; (2) 
the vindication of Jehovah's chosen nation, by protecting them 
from their foes, who seek to extirpate them; (3) the dwelling of 
Jehovah with His people, so that all shall know Him, that Zion 
may be holy, and that strangers shall no more pass through the 
sacred city in hostility; (4) -the prosperity which is given by 



VINDICATION AND PROSPERITY. 38 I 

Jehovah to His people; and (5) the cleansing of the people from 
sin, for the reason that Jehovah is to dwell in their midst, and 
cannot dwell with sin. 

Much of this, if not all of it, might have been 
to be ° Ug said without having the Messiah and his work 
Messianic. directly in mind ; for the Hebrews in the 

prophet 's own day understood that Jehovah was 
dwelling in their midst, vindicating their cause and cleansing 
them from sin by means of their sacrificial offerings. . Neverthe- 
less, the prophet does not speak of what already is, but rather 
what shall be, and evidently looks forward to a time Avhen these 
things shall be true in a more eminent degree. Such a time can 
hardly be cited in the history of the Jews before the coming of 
the Messiah. Indeed, the overthrow of Jehovah's enemies and 
the vindication of His people has not yet been fully accomplish- 
ed, but remains to be consummated at the end of the Christian 
age. New Testament writers evidently anticipated that there 
should be on earth men triumphantly hostile to God until the 
end of the world.* 

*Jesus himself taught that when his final coming shall suddenly occur, 
"one shall be taken, and one left" (Matt. 24:37-41). Paul also antici- 
pated the work of the "lawless one," who should continue to deceive 
men till he should be destroyed at the coming of Christ. 2 Thess. 2:8-12. 



Decree of 
Cyrus. 



CHAPTER IX. 

PROPHECIES OF THE RESTORATION. 

Babylon was taken by Cyrus, and became a 
part of the Persian Empire in 539 B. C. The 
book of Ezra informs ns that in his first year, 
probably 538, Cyrus issued a decree giving permission to the 
Hebrews to return to Palestine; that more than forty thousand 
promptly (perhaps in 537 or 536) removed from Babylonia, 
carrying with them the sacred vessels which Nebuchadnezzar 
had taken from the old temple at Jerusalem and which had since 
been captured by the Persians; that under the governor, Shesh- 
bazzar, "a prince of Judah," appointed by the Persian ruler, 
the Jews were colonized in Jerusalem, and began the building 
of the temple. It is certain, however, that although this decree 
was favorable, great numbers did not return from Babylon and 
other lands, and consequently never became identified with the 
new community. 

Foremost among the exiles was a descendant 
jJrusSeS of the ro - yal line of David, named Zerubbabel, 

who seems to have succeeded Sheshbazzar as 
governor, and who took a prominent part in the religious develop- 
ments of the new colony. For their high priest the Jews selected 
Joshua who by his Aaronic descend was duly entitled to that 
honor. It is recorded in Ezra 3 :8 ff. that in the second year 
after the return an effort was made to rebuild the temple, which 
proceeded as far as the laying of the foundation and a celebra- 
tion of that event; but the work was suddenly brought to an 
end by the interference of enemies, presumably the Samaritans 



REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. 383 

who were refused a share in the work and worship with the Jews. 
During the remaining ten years of the reign of Cyrus, closing 
in 529, the Jews secured no better terms with their neighbors; 
but they were harassed by foes without and famine and poverty 
at home. The. reign of Cambyses brought no relief ; for the pres- 
ence of the Persian army more than once on the Philistine border 
doubtless became much more a burden than a help. Probably 
the Samaritans stood ready to prevent at any time the importa- 
tion of those timbers from Lebanon which were necessary to the 
completion of the temple. The Jews were therefore occupied 
with the building of houses of residence and the replanting of 
vineyards, orchards and fields. 

1. The Rebuilding of the Temple. 

When Darius came to the throne of Persia in 
th£peop?e° f 521 ' the .P e °P le of Jerusalem were yet without 

a temple, and the prospect seemed no brighter. 
During the eighteen years of their struggle fortune had not smiled 
continuously upon them; but rather Persian patronage failed, 
drought parched the land, money leaked way, and harvests 
brought a meager income. The old hopes gradually withered in 
their hearts, and their early enthusiasm for the house of the 
Lord sank almost to indifference. The prophetic dreams by 
which they were led to make the return had dissolved from view, 
and a day of hard toil and unrequiting care had overtaken them. 
It was a battle with a barren soil and parsimonious clouds. They 
regarded it more a question of finding a subsistence and defend- 
ing their homes against their foes than of realizing their former 
expectations. Just at this time the prophet Haggai addresses 
them. 

(l) The First In the second year of Darius, 520, and the 

Message. sixth month, Haggai came to the governor and 

high priest to insist that Jehovah desired of them the building 
of the temple at once, even though the people did not regard 
the season as auspicious. They were inconsistent in building 
good houses for themselves and neglecting the house of Jehovah, 
especially while they were looking to Him for provision and pro- 



384 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

tection. It was a clear, distinct and effective message, as follows: 

Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your own ceiled houses, 
while this house l'eth waste? Now therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: 
Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, 
but have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye 
clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth 
_ j to put it into a bag with holes. 

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the moun- 
tain, ami bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in 
it. and I will be glorified, saith Jehovah. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it 
came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? 
saith Jehovah of hosts. B< cause of my house that l'eth waste, while 
ye run every man to his own house. Therefore for your sake the heavens 
withhold tlie dew, and the earth withholdeth its fruit. And I called for 
a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the grain, 
and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground 
bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor 
of the hands. — Haggai 1:4-11. 



Just at this place a problem confronts the 
rtant 
Problem. 



modern student of prophecy, as it also weighed 



heavily on the hearts of the Jews to whom our 
prophet spoke. We have seen what glorious things were pictured 
to the exiles before their return, how rich they should become, 
how the nations should contribute to their prosperity, and how 
numerous should be the children of the mother city, if they 
would but refound the Judean state. It is now some eighteen 
years since the exiles hearkened to that prophetic call: and how 
has it all turned out? Their neighbors have brought them no 
help, but have hindered their work; their resources have become 
almost exhausted, and the nations have contributed nothing 
since Cyrus' first assistance. Drought and famine and pestilence 
have driven the unhappy settlers to disappointment and des- 
pondency. How is all this to be explained ? 

We feel an especial interest in considering 
Explanation Haggai 's explanation. He declares that the 

misfortunes have multiplied upon the people, 
because they have cared for their own houses and neglected the 
house of Jehovah. They had begun to build the temple; but 
being hindered, they had abandoned the work as a hopeless task. 
Jehovah was withholding His blessings, to remind them that they 



REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. 38 <, 

were needlessly withholding from Him the service which they 
ought long since to have rendered. Haggai as*a resident among 
the people for years must have known that there was no sufficent 
reason for the long delay in building the temple, and that along 
with this delay had come a sad decline of faith and zeal. It 
was in the prophet's view really a defection from Jehovah; and 
it was receiving a well-merited punishment. 



In the study of prophecv, however, Ave are 
Considered. 



: ' forced to ask ourselves whether this fully ex- 



plains our difficulties. Did the predicted bless- 
ings attend the returning exiles at the first? When faith was 
strong and zeal was warm, when the enthusiasm of the people 
was greatest and the restoration was undertaken with heroism, 
did those signal promises of the exilic prophets find fulfilment 
step by step with the advancing companies? If so, when and 
why did they become discouraged ? Doubtless Haggai 's prophecy 
furnishes a clue to the whole situation. There was a lack of 
faith from the very first. Comparatively feAv of the exiles had 
faith enough to return at all ; and there is reason to believe that 
those who did go forth from Babylon went with trepidation and 
were easily alarmed by their foes and turned aside from the sa- 
cred task of restoring the temple. While we must not forget that 
many of those promises were poetical exaggerations, intended to 
awaken hope and lend attraction to the work of re-establishing 
the nation, yet doubtless if the Jews had followed the voice of 
Jehovah with greater loyalty, they would have suffered less dis- 
appointment. God does not promise in vain, and certainly does 
not mock devout and earnest faithfulness. 

Although Haggai had reason to reprove the 
Message Secon neglect of holy duties, religious devotion had not 
vanished from the hearts of the people of Jeru- 
salem; but rather it was easily stirred to action by the prophet's 
appeal. Immediately the governor, the high priest and the peo- 
ple began the work of building the temple, and it was continued 
steadily for four years, and completed in 516, the sixth year of 
Darius' reign (Ezra 6 :14, 15). After the work was fairly begun, 



386 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

and the dimensions of the building were fully decided, Haggai 
brought a second message to Zerubbabel the governor and 
Joshua the high priest, to encourage those that were made sad 
by the inferiority of the new temple as compared with that 
which Solomon had built. It is a brief word, as follows: 

Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory.' and 
how do you see it now? is it not in your eyes as nothing? Yet 
now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith Jehovah; and be strong 
O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all 
ye people of the land, saith Jehovah, and work; for I am with you, saith 
Jehovah of hosts, according to the word that I covenanted with you 
when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit abode among you: fear ye 
not. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, 
and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry 
land; and I will shake all nations; and the precious things of all na- 
tions shall come; and 1 will fill this house with glory, saith Jehovah of 
hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of hosts. 
The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, 
saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah 
of hosts.— Hag. 2:3-9. 

The first ground of cheer to the builders is the 
Preset™ 6 oracle of Jehovah, "I am with you." This is 

proposed in contrast wit-; the long continued 
blight and failure of harvests, which were interpreted as a with- 
drawal of Jehovah's presence and providence. This promise 
of divine attendance is compared to that covenanted to Israel 
at the Exodus, when Jehovah said that they should be His people, 
and He would be their God. The Septuagint does not contain 
this allusion to the ancient covenant, and its genuineness has been 
further suspected, because it well tits the occasion of this proph- 
ecy which was delivered during the feast of Tabernacles, and 
might have been interpolated on that account. On the other 
hand, it might be genuine on that account; for, indeed, had it 
been here a misfit, it would be still more suspicious. Undoubt- 
edly the divine attitude toward Israel as respects conditional 
presence and blessing is the same as formerly; for it is always 
dependent upon faithfulness, and yet never wholly withdrawn. 

The Shaking of Another ground of courage is the promise, 
the Nations <-\ w jn f\\\ tn j s house with glory." The nations 

are to be shaken, probably with wars and revolutions, and the 
changes shall be great like the shaking of heaven and earth and 



REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. 387' 

sea and land. This shaking will remove the hostility of the" 
nations, and cause them to contribute to the glory of the new 
temple. This brought comfort to those who might fear another 
attack of the Samaritans; and we have no account of another 
attack from that source while the building was going on. We 
know, moreover, that during the early years of Darius' reign he 
waged many wars with revolting provinces; but, as the book of 
Ezra informs us (chap, vi.), he decreed the liberty of the Jews to 
continue their building, and even provided for their assistance. 
Probably much more than this is meant by the shaking of the na- 
tions and their gifts, but certainly this is in keeping with the 
promise. 

The Precious Jehovah promises that "the precious things 

Things. of all nations shall come, ' ' and that ' 'the latter 

glory of this house shall be greater than the former." The A, 
V. literally translates the Hebrew "desire" instead of "pre- 
cious things;" and from the earliest times Christian scholars 
have interpreted "the desire of all nations" to be the Messiah, 
whose presence at the temple should be its transcendent glory. 
This would certainly be a beautiful and attractive interpreta- 
tion if only we had assurance that it is correct. It is rendered 
doubtful, however, when we note that the Hebrew verb for 
"come" is in the plural, and hence probably the noun should 
have been pointed in the Hebrew so as to be plural, which would 
not require any change of the original letters. It would then 
mean "desirable things." In fact, the Septuagint translators 
two hundred years before Christ understood the noun in the 
plural, and so rendered it. The old Italic version does the 
same. Our revised versions have followed these older versions 
practically in both the text and the margin. In this case, the 
prophecy means that the nations will so lavishly give their of- 
ferings for the temple that its wealth and adornment will ex- 
ceed those of the former building. This may be a strong hyper- 
bolical utterance; but still it truly expresses the good inten- 
tions of Jehovah toward His people in the latter days. 



388 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

(3) The Third. About two months after the Feast of Tab- 
Message, ernacles Haggai brought his third message. He 

began by asking the priests whether an object 
touched by a person bearing a holy article would also become 
holy: and they said it would not. He then asked whether an 
object touched by an unclean person would be deemed unclean; 
and they answered that it would. He then teaches them that 
their faithlessness has made them unclean before God, and He 
has counted everything they touch as unclean; hence their har- 
vests have failed, and all their works have been smitten with 
mildew and blasting. In contrast, however, with the principle 
that a holy thing will not make other things holy, he urges that 
the In ly temple now being erected will sanctify the people in the 
sight of God, and that from the very day on which the founda- 
tions are laid Jehovah's blessings will begin. God will therefore 
he more generous with them than their own principles would 
lead them to expect. 

(4) The Fourth On the same day of the last message Haggai 
Message. bore the following word from Jehovah to Ze- 
rubbabel the governor of Judah : 

I will shake the heavens and the eaith; and I will overthrow the 
throne of kingdoms; and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of 
the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in 
them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the 
sword of his brother. In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, will I take 
thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith Jehovah, and 
will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee, saith Jehovah of 
hosts.— Hag. 2:21-23. 

Here the shaking of the nations is more clearly 
defined. It means the overthrow of those king- 
doms, thrones and military forces which are arrayed against the 
Jews; and this, by way of implied contrast, signifies that the 
elect people shall be able to succeed. It is but a strong Hebrew 
manner of saying that no opposition to the Jews by any other 
nation shall prevent their accomplishing the steadfast pur- 
pose of Jehovah. Besides this, Zerubbabel, a descendant of 
David in the royal line, has been chosen by Jehovah, and is to 
receive special honor at His hands. Zerubbabel is to be Jeho- 



jehovah's dwelling in Jerusalem. 389 

vah's signet; and since in ancient times the signet or seal was 
made of precious stone and used to stamp official authority upon 
a document, it signified at once great value and royal power. 
Zerubbabel is then to be very precious to Jehovah and to carry 
His divine authority. This seems to continue the promises to 
David concerning his posterity, and thus they are handed on 
toward the Messiah, whose preciousness and authority should 
amply fulfil all the Hebrew hope. 

2. Jehovah's Dwelling in Jerusalem. 

The work of Haggai was reinforced by that 
Zecha^iah het of anotner prophet in Jerusalem called "Zech- 

ariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo," 
whose first dated oracle was announced November, 520, and the 
last was given December, 518, but concerning whom we know 
little more. If he was the Zechariah of the house of Iddo men- 
tioned in the book of Nehemiah (12:12-17), he became the head 
of his father's house during the priesthood of Joiakim, the suc- 
cessor of Joshua who was serving at the time of these prophecies. 
He must in that case have been comparatively a young man when 
he gave these messages. His style is very marked, and particu- 
larly his numerous visions must have impressed his hearers and 
made his messages the more effective with the common people. 
His immediate object, as indicated by his writings, seems to have 
been to strengthen the confidence of the Jews in Jehovah, that 
the temple might be hastened and the state established in the 
service of God. 

Preparatory to the chief glory of Jerusalem, 
Citv 6 ° Sen ^ P ro P ftet fi rst relates a vision of a horseman 
attended by other horses, that are said to be 
appointed by Jehovah to traverse the earth, and who report that 
the world is at rest. The quietude of the nations affords no 
prospect of their restoring the glory to Jerusalem; and hence 
arises the question addressed to Jehovah, "How long wilt thou 
not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against 
which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years .'" 
Tin' following prophecy is a response to this question: 



390 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Cry thou, Baying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for 
Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore dis- 
pleased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little dis- 
pleased, and they helped forward the affliction. Therefore thus saith 
Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem w.'th mercies; my house shall be 
built in it. saith Jehovah of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth 
over Jerusalem. Cry yet again, saving, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My 
cities shall yet overflow witli prosperity: and Jehovah shall yet comfort 
Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. 

And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns. And 
I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he an- 
swered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and 
Jerusalem. And Jehovah showed me four smiths. Then said I, What come 
these to do? And he spake, saying. These are the horns that scattered 
Judah, so that no man did lift up his head; but these are come to terrify 
them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn 
against the land of Judah to scatter it. — Zech. 1:14-21, Eng. Bible; 
1:14-2:4, Heb. Bible. 

The special message of comfort here given is 

., e . °* ° the fact that Jehovah has chosen Jerusalem, on 

Comfort. , 

account of which He will return to it with mer- 
cies, and the whole circle of cities shall overflow with prosperity. 
Before this can be accomplished, the horns that scattered Judah 
must lie cast down; and this means that the national powers 
that have hitherto afflicted the chosen people must fall under the 
divine hand. This well accords with the closing utterance of 
Haggai spoken just two months earlier, and voices again the 
sentiment of the later chapters of Isaiah. 

In the next vision the prophet sees a young 
walled City" man w ^ a measur ing line going to measure Je- 

rusalem, as if the walls were to be rebuilt so as 
to preserve the ancient size of the fortress. The following mes- 
sage, to which a brief lyric is appended, is sent by an angel to 
the young man, to signify that the city is hereafter to assume 
entirely a different character from that of the past, because 
Jehovah will dwell there and be an all-sufficient Protector: 

Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, by reason of 
the multitude of men and cattle therein. For T, saith Jehovah, will be 
unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst 
of her. 

Ho, ho, flee from the land of the mirth, saith Jehovah; 

Ho, Zion, escape, thou dweller with the .laughter of Babylon. 

For as the four winds of heaven I dispersed you, saith Jehovah. 






THE UN WALLED CITY. 391 

For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After glory he hath sent me unto 
the nations which plundered you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the 
apple of his eye: for lo! I will shake my hand over them, and they shall 
be as spoil to those that served them; and ye shall know that Jehovah 
of hosts hath sent me. 

Sing out and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; 

For lo! I come and will dwell in thy midst, saith Jehovah. 

And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, 

And shall be to me a people, 

And I will dwell in thy midst 
(and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto thee). 

And Jehovah will make Judah his inheritance, 

His portion in the holy land, 

Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah; 

For he is waked up out of his holy habitation. — Zech. 2:4-13. 

This announces that the city will not need 
i r ° P erv C walls, since Jehovah will be a protection ; and it 

cannot have walls, because the number of people 
and cattle will be too great to be enclosed in a limited fortifica- 
tion. We discover in this prediction the same ideas that were 
expressed in various prophecies in former periods; but they are 
not in the same form. If we compare Isaiah 33 :14-34 (see p. 
178), or Psalm xlvi. (p. 182), in which Zion is "a place of broad 
rivers and streams," we observe how readily the prophet here 
escapes the imagery of his predecessors, and yet holds to the 
great, central truth, that Zion is to be the dwelling-place of God, 
and be unspeakably blessed by His presence. This shows what 
many of us may be slow to consider, that these writers are not 
intending to predict literally the physical conditions of the city ; 
but they use these descriptions of rivers, tents, pinnacles, towers, 
and walls as vehicles of the far greater conceptions of Jehovah's 
unfailing devotion to His people and His determination to ac- 
complish a Messianic purpose through them. 

The Lyric. The lyric P ortion of tnis passage may be a 

quotation, and has an exhortation to flee from 
Babylon fts if it had been composed during the Exile; but possi- 
bly this exhortation is intended for that large part of Israel 
which remained in Babylon after their companions returned to 
Jerusalem. Certainly in the main thought the verses are ap- 
propriate to the prophecy with which they are here connected. 



39- THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

They contain two Leading thoughts: (1) that God will dwell in 
the midst of the Jews as if Judah is to be the portion of His 
inheritance in the holy land: and (2) that in the future many 
nations are to join themselves to Jehovah, and become a part of 
II is own people. These ideas are not new in Old Testament 
prophecy, but none the less Messianic ; and here they find a new 
setting, since the Jews have begun the restoration of their com- 
monwealth, and the promise stands in marked contrast with an 
onpropitious outlook. 

A third prophecy very similar in sentiment to 
T'dehtv * y ° these is recorded in Zech. viii. It is composed of 
a series of oracles, of which the exact dates are 
unknown, although they seem connected with that in the begin- 
ning of chapter vii.. which was delivered in the fourth year of 
Darius. 518. Selected extracts from these oracles will exhibit 
the more important utterances: 

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jeal- 
ousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus saith Jehovah: 
I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and 
Jerusalem shall be called the city of fidelity: and the mountain of 
Jehovah of hosts, The holy mountain. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: 
There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, 
every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of 
the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. 
* * * Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Beho'd, I will save my people out 
of the land of the rising and out of the land of the setting of the sun; 
and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; 
and they shall be my people, and 1 will be their God. in truth and in 
righteousness * * Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: There shall yet come 
peoples and the citizens of many cities; and the citizens of one city 
Bhall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of 
Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts. I will go too. Yea, many peoples 
and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, 
and to entreat the favor of Jeohvah. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In 
those days shall ten men take hold — out of all the languages of the 
•nations, they shall take hold — of the skirt of a Jew and say, We will 
go with vou, for we have heard that God is with you, — Zech. 8:2-5, 7. B, 
20-23. 

The Zion of coming days will not be like that 

tiiTcUy! 1 * of t1 "' P ast lt wil1 not be a eit - v of unbelief, 

built upon a mountain of iniquity; but it shall 

wear the name, City of Fidelity, and its site sluill be known as 



THE CITY OF FIDELITY. 393 

Holy Mountain. This is an effective way of setting a high ideal 
of faithfulness and righteousness before the inhabitants of the 
city, which ought to act as a powerful influence for their good. 
As a result of the noble character of the people, the plagues 
which in former years carried away the population and made 
children scarce and old age rare, will not appear; and the city 
will exhibit as a sure sign of divine blessing a scene of old men 
and women sitting in the streets and boys and girls in playful 
glee. In this most beautiful picture of social enjoyment the 
prophet portrays the peace, health and prosperity of Jerusalem. 

While all these prophecies are brightening the 
Accessions hilltops of the future, one dark cloud is ever 

hanging over the Judean state, and that is the 
wretched paucity of its citizenship. There are but a few thou- 
sand people in all Judah, and it looks as if but a few more 
are coming out of the exilic lands. How can this insignificant 
colony hope for wealth, strength and renown? To meet this 
discouragement, the prophet brings two messages from Jehovah. 
(1) He will bring back the exiles from the east and from tbe 
west, will settle them in Jerusalem, and will establish between 
Himself and them relations of mutual faithfulness. (2) The 
citizens of many cities will propose to each other to go to entreat 
the favor of Jehovah, and with common consent they will come 
to Jerusalem and mingle with the vast throng that shall gather 
about the new temple. To exhibit the future interest of the 
Gentiles in Jehovah, the prophet describes the action of ten men 
representing various nationalities taking hold of the skirt of a 
Jew. begging the privilege of worshiping his God. It is clear 
that the central truth of thjs prediction, the turning of the 
Gentiles to Jehovah, has been verified in fact, though the manner 
of it is far from universal. 

That which more than all else astonishes the 
Mockery modern reader is the fact that the generation 

and the city for whose comfort and encourage- 
ment these things were spoken seem to have reaped from their 
fulfilment no benefits whatever. Comparatively few exiles re- 
turned to enlarge the slate, and for several hundreds of years 



394 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

few Gentiles entered into the worship of Jehovah. Did the- 
prophet of God mock his people with a message from heaven? 
We may safely permit the facts to answer this question. The- 
vrork of the prophet was twofold, to preserve the faith of his 
own generation and to prepare for the faith of a coming age. 
The promise of exiles returned and heathen converted accom- 
plished both of these. It awakened the hopes of the Jews, without 
which all w T as lost, and it manifested Jehovah '■ interest in them,. 
which quickened their faith into loyal service. These were 
greater blessings to them than teeming millions of people ; and 
far beyond their day this promise provided for their children 's 
appreciation of the inestimable work of Christ. This was not 
mockery, unless, indeed, it be mockery to promise a starving mart 
a crumb and give him a loaf. 

3. Tht Man Named Branch. 

In two passages Zechariah foretells the coming; 

Omens. 168 * 8 ** of a man that sha11 be called Branch < and io 
either case the announcement is set in close con- 
nection with honors bestowed upon Joshua the high priest. In 
the third chapter is described a vision of Joshua standing before 
the angel of Jehovah and satan standing by as his accuser. 
Satan is rebuked, and Joshua, who had worn filthy garments, is 
arrayed in rich apparel and honored with a clean mitre. This 
evidently signifies that the high priest is vindicated before Je- 
hovah against any possible accusations of unworthiness to fill 
the priestly office at the new temple, either on account of his 
personal sins or the sins of his people by which they were driven 
into the Exile. Jehovah declares His well determined grace and 
Joshua's acceptance by calling him a ''brand plucked out of the 
fire;" for whatever may have withheld Joshua and his people 
from appearing before Jehovah in the past, their worship will 
henceforth be pleasing in His sight. Then follows the angel's 
address to Joshua : 

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and 
if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and 
Bhalt iilso keep my courts, and T will give thee a place of access among' 
these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy 



THE PRIESTS AS OMENS. 395 

fellows that sit before thee; for they are men of omen: for, behold, I will 
bring forth my servant, Branch. For, behold, the stone that I have 
set before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave 
the graving thereof, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will remove the in- 
iquity of that land in one day. In that day saith Jehovah of hosts, shall 
ye invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig-tree. — 
Zech. 3:7-10. 

On condition that Joshua should, be obedient 
Joshua° f *° J enova h and faithful in office, he is to have 

the oversight of the temple and its courts and 
the high privilege of access to Jehovah's presence among the 
angels that stand before Him. This means that Joshua is to be 
a divinely appointed high priest with special tokens of accepta- 
bility. The greatest of all honors which shall come to Joshua and 
his fellow priests is that they shall be "men of omen." In Isa. 
8 :18 a similar remark is made concerning persons whose names 
were significant of coming events. Truly the name Joshua means 
Jehovah saves, and it is the same as Jesus; but since it is not 
probable that the other priests wore names so suggestive of the 
Messiah, it is likely that the office rather than the name pre- 
figured some object then existent only in the divine purpose. It 
is their office, not their names, that receives emphasis in the 
context ; and hence it must be in their official character that 
they are to serve as prototypes. 

The Branch ^ ne ^ ex ^ ^ ere indicates that the priests are to 

be "men of omen," because Jehovah will bring 
forth His servant, Branch. This close connection of the omens 
with the Branch implies that the priests were to be official 
types of that future personage. By the brevity of our prophetic 
records, which are doubtless only memoranda of what the author 
spoke to the people, nothing more concerning the Branch has 
been preserved to us, although the speaker must have made clear 
to Joshua this otherwise bare allusion. We can only assume that 
in thought he follows the utterances concerning the Branch made 
by Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isa. 4:2; 11:1; Jer. 23:5; 33:15). In 
these passages which we have already studied, we found evident 
forecasts of the Messiah ; but it was always his royal, not his 
sacerdotal, office that was anticipated. Here the Branch is 



396 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

clearly the official antitype of the priestly class. Various other 
prophecies (Ps. ex.: Ezek. xxi. 24-27, et al.), where the name 
Branch is not mentioned, have plainly foretold the priestly work 
of the Messiah. 

Th g The stone laid before Joshua may have been 

intended to fit into some place in the ton pie, 
and was to be engraved with the figures of seven eyes, doubt- 
less to represent the omnipresence and ceaseless watchcare of 
God. The remark about the stone is here connected with the 
Branch so closely as to imply that it has a Messianic significance; 
and since it is an expression of the divine presence and oversight, 
it probably typifies the Messiah himself. This is confirmed by the 
attending promise that the iniquity of the land shall be re- 
moved ; for the purging of sin belongs to the priestly office, and 
the forgiveness of iniquity accompanies the Messianic covenant 
(Jer. 31:34). This prophecy adds another Messianic element: 
"In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall ye invite every man 
his neighbor under the vine and under the fig-tree." This pre- 
dicts a time of peace contemporary with the removal of iniquity 
and the rule of the Branch: and this accords with Isaiah's 
prophecy that in the reign of the Branch the most ferocious 
animals shall dwell peacefully with the most tender and timid 
(Isa. 11:6-9).* 

Another prophecy of the Branch (Zech. 6:12- 

for Joshua* 15) was delivered apparently about the same time 

as the former. Certain men had come over from 

Babylon to Jerusalem, and brought with them valuable gifts from 

the wealthier Jews in that land to aid the colonists in their 

"While Zeehariah's utterances exhibit many features parallel to 
those of earlier prophets, it does not follow that he borrowed exces 
sive.v from them; for his predictions have conceptions, forms and set- 
tings quite his own. Without an effort to be original, and certainly- 
making no attempt to avoid the thought of others, he aims chiefly at 
the conscience and life of his own generation as every genuine prophet 
did. He shows His independence of his predecessors also in his adapta- 
tion of prophecy to present conditions, not clinging servilely to the 
forms and advices suited to past emergencies; but catching the spirit 
of righteousness and hopefulness, he emphasizes the supreme duty of 
the hour. 



THE MAN NAMED BRANCH. 397 

•struggles for a new temple. The prophet is told to take from 
these treasures enough of silver and gold to make crowns which 
are to be placed on the head of Joshua the high priest, and then 
to say : 

Thus hath Jehovah of hosts spoken, saying, Behold, the man whose 
name is Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall 
"build the temple of Jehovah; even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; 
and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and 
he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be 
between them both. And to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and 
to Hen the son of Zephaniah, the crowns shall be for a memorial in the 
temple of Jehovah. And they that are far off shall come and build in 
the temple of Jehovah; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath 
sent me unto you. And this shall co me to pass, if ye will diligently obey 
the voice of Jehovah your God. 

^_ rh ., Although Joshua is being crowned, he is not 

branch? the Branch, who yet "shall grow up out of his 

place." Joshua is crowned only as a representa- 
tive or type of the Branch, so that the prophecy may have a 
vividness that will deeply impress all present. Likewise Zerub- 
babel is not the Branch ; for although the Branch shall build the 
temple of Jehovah, it cannot be the temple now under construc- 
tion, since the Branch himself is a future personage.* Zerub- 
babel finished his temple in the sixth year of Darius' reign (Ezra 
6:15), four years after it was begun (ef. Hag. 1:15). This 
•does not allow time for any other person to have a part in the 
building of the structure. The prophet is clearly foretelling 
.another building, the exact nature of which he does not define. 
We cannot, even if we were so disposed, devise a more reason- 
able interpretation, nor one more harmonious with other prophe- 
cies and the divine trend of events, than that suggested by the 
apostle Paul (1 Cor. 3:16, 17; Eph. 2:21), that the Christian 

*Ewald supposed that the name of Zerubbabel was by accident 
lost from the text, and that one crown was for him and one for Joshua. 
George Adam Smith holds that there was to be but one crown, that 
the plural refers to circlets in .that crown, and that Zerubbabel, not 
Joshua, was to wear it. He assumes that in a later age, when the high 
priesl became the ruler of the nation, Joshua's name was substituted 
in the text for Zerubbabel 's. it is possible that there was but one 
crown composed of circlets; but ad those other suppositions seem 
gratuitous, as the lex! makes good sense as it stands. 



398 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Church is the temple, and therefore its builder the Branch is 
our Messiah. What other person, indeed, could Zechariah have 
meant than that one of whom the prophets long before had often 
spoken, and who must already have held a prominent place in 
Jewish hope ! and whom else could his hearers have understood ? 

a Do bie ^ n Edition to his being a builder of the tem- 

Office. pie, he shall have the glory of ruling on a throne 

and of being a priest on the throne. Here, as in 
Ps. ex., the coming one has a double office, that of king and that 
of priest; but here he is to be a ruler in peace, while in the 
Psalm he is to be a conqueror in Avar. These are remarkable 
prophecies; for at no time till later in Jewish history did Israel 
have a priest-king, and, as the Psalm indicates, there was no 
parallel to the prophetic idea, except that of Melchizedek. It 
cannot be thought for a moment that the notion was borrowed 
from the ancient Babylonian priest-kings, to which the prophetic 
disposition was decidedly averse. On this point the later chap- 
ters of Isaiah which severely upbraid the Babylonian religion are 
sufficient evidence. When the writer here says, ' ' The counsel of 
peace shall be between them both," he hints that harmony does 
not always exist between contemporary kings and priests; and 
we are well aware that in the history of Israel and Judah the 
royal and sacerdotal orders sometimes represented opposing prin- 
ciples. The life of Jehoiada (2 Ki. xi.) abundantly illustrates that 
possibility. In the Messianic ruler the priest and king will be 
the same person, and hence the two offices will be perfectly har- 
monious. 

The question has been raised by various writ- 
Zerubbabel? ers (Hitzig, Orelli, and others), why was it not 

rather Zerubbabel, the civil ruler, that was 
crowned as the type of the Messiah? The seriousness of this 
question has led Ewald, G. A. Smith and others to assume that 
by error, accidental or designed, the name of Joshua has been 
substituted where Zerubbabel was written by the author of the 
text. But a reasonable answer may be offered that renders such 
critical conjecture unnecessary. It was Joshua, a priest, not 
Zerubbabel, a civil ruler, because the prophetic intent is to rivet 



THE SMITTEN SHEPHERD. 399 

attention on the priestly character of the Branch. It was un- 
derstood from many prophecies that he should be a descendant of 
David, and therefore a ruler of Israel; but that fact still left 
room for the possibility that the ruler and priest might not be 
concordant. On this matter all doubt is dissipated when it is 
distinctly understood that the future king and priest are to be 
the same person. Orelli properly calls this a "climax of develop- 
ment in the history of redemption." 

4. The Smitten Shepherd. 

The Date ^^ e ^ me wnen chapters xii.-xiv. of Zechariah 

were written is a question- of critical conten- 
tion. Some hold that these -chapters go with ix.-xi., and belong 
to the days of Isaiah, Jeremiah, or still later than the time of 
Zerubbabel. Others assign only the Closing chapters to a late 
date, some urging as late a date as the closing of the prophetic 
canon will permit. Still others hold to the traditional unity of 
the entire book as the work of Zechariah. "While a full discus- 
sion of these matters is reserved by the present writer to a later 
work, it is sufficient for the purpose of these pages to assume a 
date subsequent to the chapters already studied. The exact time 
has little bearing upon the interpretations here presented. 

The prophet announces repentance and mourn- 
?5 eat . ing before he tells the occasion of it. In Zech. 

12 :10-13 :2, a lamentation like that in the val- 
ley of Megicldon where Josiah was slain, will be heard among the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem; but it will not be the wail of despair, 
but rather "the spirit of grace and supplication," that indicates 
a sorrow for sin. The mourning is made more dramatic by rep- 
resenting different families in separate throes of grief. 

And I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabi- 
tants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall 
look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as 
one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one 
that is in bitterness for his first-born. Tn that day shall there be a great 
mourning in .Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley 
of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family 
of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the 
house (if Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of 



400 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of the Shiiu- 
eitea apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every 
family apart, and their wives apart. 

In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David 
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. Ant! 
it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut 
off the nanus of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more 
be remembered. 

Who Slain? It is hinted here that the mourners are them- 

selves guilty of putting' some person' to death 
who turns out to he very dear to them, hut no hint as to his 
identity. In the expression, "they shall look unto me whom they 
have pierced," viewed as an utterance of Jehovah, we discover 
that the assumed crime pierces the heart of God also. The in- 
definiteness respecting the person killed may he due in part to 
some event that had recently occurred, which, though unknown 
to us, is accounted well known when the prophet writes, and 
therefore needs no explanation. We may not he surprised to 
note such indefiniteness throughout the works of the prophets; 
for it indicates only how much the seer suited his message to his 
own generation. 

The Fountain. In view of the penitence of the people a 

fountain for their cleansing is to he opened; and 
the fact that the house of David is specially mentioned as sharing 
both the penitence and the benefits of the fountain, suggests that 
the person killed and the opened fountain are connected with 
the Davidic family. It is not here implied, however, that the 
killing of the person opens the fountain for cleansing. It is im- - 
plied, however, that the cleansing leads to an utter abandonment 
of all the remnants of idolatry in the land, so that even the 
names of the idols will be forgotten. Thus the cleansing will. 
induce a firm loyalty to Jehovah. 

In another passage, Zech., 13:7-9, the prophet 
Definite" defines more clearly who shall be smitten and 

Statement. his relation to Jehovah. It is Jehovah's shep- 

herd, one that is so closely associated with God 
as to he called His "fellow." 

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is 
my fellow, saith Jehovah" of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep 
shall be scattered; and 1 will turn my hand upon the little ones. And it 



THE SMITTEN SHEPHERD. 401 

shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein 
shall be cut off and die;. but the third shall be left therein. And I will 
bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, 
and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I 
will hear them. I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah 
is my God. 

__ .,_ . The meaning of the smiting now emerges in 

The Meaning. e ° ° 

the light of the consequences. It is clearly a 
general persecution, in which the leader is the first to fall, and 
after him large numbers of his followers. The shepherd is not a 
prophet, but rather a ruler rejected by a portion of his people 
and slain through lack of appreciation. Later the slayers are 
overcome with grief, repent of their awful deed, and find a 
fountain of cleansing. A wave of persecution sweeps over the 
land ; but a portion of the people, here for vividness estimated at 
one-third, are rescued, and become faithful adherents to Jehovah. 
Their very faithfulness is due to the refining effect of their 
afflictions. Their sufferings are not chargeable to Jehovah's dis- 
regard of them; for when the little ones, the weakest of them,, 
need His help, He will turn His hand to their assistance. 

In Matt. 26 :31 and Mark 14 :27, Jesus applies 
essia ^ c this prophecy to Himself as the smitten shep- 

herd and his disciples as the scattered sheep. 
We are by no means forced to regard them as the only persons 
within the range of prophetic vision, nor the only ones by whom 
a fulfilment could be accomplished; but there are good reasons 
for holding that in no other can the prophecy have so perfect a 
parallel and so great significance. Certainly many other leaders 
were smitten, and their followers put to rout, and to many their 
sorrows were a refining fire ; but by the death of what other was 
a fountain of cleansing opened ? and for what other scion of 
David pierced in persecution will the very slayers mourn as for 
an only son ? Parallels, however, are not the best reasons. Those 
great principles of redemption which were purposed in the di- 
vine Mind, and were gradually being unfolded in prophecy as a 
preparation for the Messianic age are vastly more certain indi- 
cations of Messianic intent. The rejection of the divinely chosen 
leader, and hence the piercing of Jehovah, the repentance of the 



402 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

people, the cleansing from sin. and the consequent loyalty to 
Jehovah are of the very essence of Messianic thought, and the 
prophecy that makes these prominent must ever rank high in 
Messianic development. 

In certain respects this prophecy resembles 
tteVervant. that °^ the sufferm g' Servant, Isa. liii. In both 

cases God's chosen one dies for others, and 
prepares a means of redemption from sin; but a marked differ- 
ence appears in the matter of subsequent exaltation. Doubtless 
this accounts for the fact that Jesus freely quotes this passage 
and applies it to himself, but does not refer to the Servant at all! 
He modestly prefers those prophecies that do not relate to his 
honors, but rather to his rejection and the disappointment of his 
disciples. Those which forecast his glory are in better point in 
the hands of his apostles after his ascension. The matter of pro- 
found remark is, that all these utterances find their consummate 
significance in him alone. 

3. Thai Remarkable Bay. 

r . . B „ o „ M In two passages separated from each other 

± lrst irassage. -tii-ii 

by those concerning the shepherd, the prophet 

sets forth a day of judgment against the hostile nations and a 
vindication of Judah and Jerusalem. In the first passage, Zech. 
xii. 1-9, the chief elements of the prediction are given, consisting 
of a siege of Jerusalem by the nations, their complete discom- 
fiture by Jehovah, and the glory of Judah and the house of David. 

Thus saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth 
the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him: 
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples 
round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege of Jerusalem. 
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a bur- 
densome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it 
shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered 
together against it. In that day, saith Jehovah, I will smite every 
horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open mine eyes 
upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with 
blindness. And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The 
inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their 
God. In that day will T make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire 
among wood, ami like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall 



A DAY OF JUDGMENT. 4O3 

devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; 
and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in 
Jerusalem. Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the 
glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusa- 
lem be not magnified above Judah. In that day shall Jehovah defend 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that 
day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as G-od, as the 
angel of Jehovah before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, 
that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

The EmDhasis ^^ e em P^ as i s °f the prophecy is laid on Je- 

hovah, "who stretcheth forth the heavens, and 
layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of 
man within him," in order to induce the concentration of all 
hope of future good in Him as its only Source. It is He that 
will smite the enemy with terror and madness ; and it is He that 
will save Judah and defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The 
elect people must recognize their electing God, since otherwise 
their election itself will come to nought. This faith in Him is a 
condition of their help ; for by it, as here promised, the weakest 
of them shall become a hero like David. 

Second Passage. In the other P assa g' e > Z ech. xiv. 1-21, a fuller 
statement of the siege and consequent judgment 
is made. The city must be taken and spoiled, and half its popu- 
lation be carried to captivity; but a plague will befall the cap- 
tors, consuming many, while the rest will unite with Judah in 
keeping the feasts of Jehovah. The style is marked with highly 
wrought figures, and well accords with the thought of this climax 
of Old Testament apocalypses. 

Behold, a day of Jehovah cometh, when thy spoil shall be divided in 
the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to 
battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women 
ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the 
residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall 
Jehovah go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in 
the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount 
of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount of Olives 
shall be cleft midway toward the east and west by a very great ravine; 
and half of the mountain shall move northward, and half southward. 
And ye shall flee by the ravine of my mountains; for the ravine of the 
mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from 
before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and Jehovah 
niv God shall come, and all the holv ones with thee. And it shall come 



404 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the luminaries shalT 
withdraw themselves; and it shall be a unique day which is famous fcfl 
Jehovah; not day and not night; but it shall come to pass that at evt ning 
there shall be light. And it shall come to pass in that day, that living 
waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, 
and half of them tow T ard the western sea; in summer and in winter shall 
it be. 

And Jehovah shall be king over all the earth. In that day s'a.-i'l 
Jehovah be One, and his name One. All the land shall be made like the 
Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she shall be 
lifted up, and shall dwell in her place, from Benjamin 's gate unto the 
place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of 
Hananel unto the king's wine presses. And men shall dwell there n, and 
there shall be no more curse; but Jerusalem shall dwell safely. 

And this shall be the plague with which Jehovah will smite a 1 the 
peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume 
away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consiru^ 
away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in ther 
mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from 
Jehovah shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the 
hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of 
his neighbor. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth 
of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, 
and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the 
horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of a:l the beasts 
that shall be in those camps, as that plague. 

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations 
that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship 
the King, Jehovah of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernac'es. And 
it sha'I be, that whoso of all the families of the earth goeth not up 
unto Jerusalem to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts, upon them there 
shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, 
upon them shall come* the plague with which Jehovah shall smite the 
nations that go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be 
the punishment of Egypt, and the pun'shment of all the nations that go 
not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon 
the bel.s of the horses, HOLY UNTO JEHOVAH; and the pots in Je- 
hovah's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot 
in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy unto Jehovah of hosts; and all 
they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil therein; and 
in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah 
of hosts. 

Concrete Forms. In some res P ects this description appears ex- 
travagant, especially in the proposed topograph- 
ical changes for the deliverance and blessing of Jerusalem. Xo 
one imagines that Mount Olivet has been, or will ever be, cleft 

•This translation in this place follows the Septuagint and Syriae 
versions. The Hebrew inserts "not," and mars the sense. 



ALL THINGS HOLY. 405 

asunder by a wide ravine, or that two rivers will flow in opposite 
directions from Jerusalem. Only, a misunderstanding of Jewish 
methods of thought and speech could encourage such literalism. 
Properly viewed it is not even extravagance; for the prophet 
seeks to convey sober truth, which he merely clothes in concrete 
forms that it may find a deeper lodgment in the mind. The 
prophets assiduously avoid the abstract; and yet with all the 
concreteness of their descriptions, their lessons are abstract 
truths. 

^_ „ , . . The intent of all this material, then, when 

Tne Intent. 

taken in accord with the custom of Jewish pro- 
phets, is to emphasize Jehovah's determination to vindicate His 
own people against their foes, and bring all opposition, even 
though it be by Judah herself, either to disappointment or to 
happy submission. In this, three important objects are accom- 
plished: (1) The dependence of Jerusalem upon Jehovah is 
made apparent. (2) A strong ethical restraint is exercised by 
the anticipated judgment of Jehovah against the unfaithful. 
(3) In times of persecution or other serious trial the hope of 
ultimate fortune by Jehovah's help will furnish a valuable sup- 
port of faith and patience. These were vital matters at almost 
any time in the post-exilic history of Israel. 

The closing paragraph, which is really the 
Holy hmgS culmination of the prophecy, heavily under- 

scores the idea of a cosmopolitan service 
of Jehovah. The feast of tabernacles is the test or sample of 
ritualistic observance; and the nations that do not meet the test 
must suffer punishment. Common vessels shall become Sacred, 
and the smaller sacred vessels shall rival the larger in honor. 
This means that all things will become sacred, because all the 
people will be holy; and this is made the more emphatic by an- 
nouncing that there will "be no more a Canaanite in the house 
of Jehovah." Thus this prophet foresees a time when the whole 
earth shall become loyal to the Most High and worthy to wear 
tin- title, "Holy to Jehovah.'' This is the farthest and highest 
ideal of Old Testament prophecy. 



406 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

6. The Coming M< sst n</< r. Malachi Hi. 1-5, 16-18; iv. 

The name Malachi means "my messenger," 
MaUcM* ^ and is so translated b y the Septuagint (1:1), as 

if it were not a proper name. The Septnagint, 
however, carries the name Malachi at the head of the book. If 
it be not a proper name, we do not know the name of the prophet 
by whom the oracle was given. The term "governor" (1 :8) seems 
to imply that when the book was written the Persians still held 
Palestine; and the allusion to worship at Jehovah's altar (1:10) 
indicates a time after the building of the temple in the days of 
Zerubbabel. Intermarriage with foreigners is rebuked (2:10-16), 
but not on the basis of law, as by Ezra (Ez. 10:3), but rather 
as a sin against Jehovah as the Father of His people. This 
points to a time previous to the coming of Ezra to Jerusalem in 
458, approximately 160. 

_, _,. After the days of Zechariah, a period of form- 

alism came on, and Judah sank into religious 
indifference and many kinds of immorality. It was a time of 
disappointment that the Messianic blessings did not pour down 
upon the people, a time of faithlessness, disheartening and de- 
spondency. It was, as Parrar says, a serious "laxity and godless- 
ness which called forth this last flush in the sunset of Hebrew 
prophecy." Hence the book contains a bold, direct rebuke of 
Judah 's derelictions and sins. 

The Reb ke Even the upright needed correction ; for they 

observed the prosperity of the wicked, and 
"wearied Jehovah" by saying that they who do evil are good in 
His sight, and He delights in them. It seemed to them unjust 
that the evil-doer should be successful in business ; and hence they 
asked, "Where is the God of justice?" In rebuke of this mis- 
conception of Jehovah 's work, the following words were uttered : 

Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before 
me, and suddenly the Lord whom ye seek will come to his temple; and 
the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith 
Jehovah of hosts. But who can abide the day of his coming 1 ? and who 
shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like 
fuller's soap; and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he 



THE COMING MESSENGER. 407 

will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they 
shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness. Then shall the 
offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing unto Jehovah, as in the 
days of old, and as in ancient years. And I will come near to you to 
judgment; and I will be a swift witness against, the sorcerers, and 
against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those 
that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, 
and that turn aside the sojourner from his right, and fear not me, saith 
Jehovah of hosts. — Mai. 3:1-5. 

The force of this response to the complaint of 
Message & ^ ne righteous i s > that Jehovah is not prospering 

the wicked; but rather He is reserving them to 
the time of His coming to judgment, and then He will deal with 
them according to their deserts. The coming of Jehovah, how- 
ever will be preceded by the appearance of His messenger, who 
will prepare the way before Him. When Jehovah comes, His 
first work will be with the priests, the persons that are engaged 
in the service of God, that they may be made more acceptable ; 
and then He will judge the wicked with a swift condemnation. 
Who the messenger is to be, the language in this paragraph does 
not certify. 

Another response to almost the same senti- 
M ssa^ ment appears further on. The prophet accuses 

the faithful people of saying that it seems vain 
and unprofitable to serve Jehovah and to mourn over the sins 
of the nation, seeing that the proud are happy, the workers of 
wickedness are built up, and those who tempt God escape His 
judgment. Then he adds: 

Then they that feared Jehovah spake [thus] one with another; and 
Jehovah hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written 
before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his 
name. And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, even mine own 
possession, in the day which I make; and I will spare them, as a man 
spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return and discern 
between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and 
him that serveth him not. For behold, the day cometh, it burnetii as a 
furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness shall bo stubble; 
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, 
that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 

But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise 
with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as eal-ves 
of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for tliey shall be 



408 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

ashes under the soles of your feet in the day which I make, saith Jehovah 
of hosts. 

Kemember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded 
unto him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances. Behold, 
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible Way of 
Jehovah come. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the chil- 
dren, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite 
the earth with a curse. — Mai. 3:16-4: 6, Eng. Ver. 

The Meaninz Here the prophet informs his people that when 

they are talking- one with another about the suc- 
cess of the wicked, God is planning just the opposite fortune; for 
lie is writing in the book of His remembrance the names of those 
that fear Him, and preparing to own them as His peculiar pos- 
session on the coming day of vindication. When that day arrives, 
it will be easy to distinguish between the wicked and the right- 
e >us : for the wicked shall be as stubble before fire, and become 
as ashes beneath the feet of the upright. It is the same principle 
as that in the Parable of the Tares in the Wheat, let the good 
and bad grow together for the present, and a future judgment 
will bring its appropriate retributions. If the wicked prosper, it 
is only for a season; and let the faithful bide their time with 
patience till Jehovah, preceded by His messenger, shall come 
with discriminating justice. 

It is interesting to note the peculiar union of 

'\ 1C ^ ° aw law and prophecy in the very last verses of the 
and Prophecy. n 

Old Testament. Judah is urged to remember 

the law given to Moses, which exhortation taken in conjunction 
with the approaching judgment implies that the keeping of this 
law is a condition of acceptance with God; nevertheless God will 
send Elijah the prophet to work with the people, lest they fall 
under a curse. Thus the last effort of prophecy will be in sup- 
port of the law. supplementary to it, and yet to save the people 
from its curse. The second Elijah will deal with the hearts of 
men, will attempt to turn them into consonance w r ith the law, and 
especially to fill them with that love that underlies and outlives 
all law. Indeed, it is the task of all prophecy, assuming the 
presence of the law and a knowledge of right, to quicken the con- 
sciences of men and to kindle within their hearts the spirit of 



THE IDEAL MAN. 409 

loving obedience. The prophet is God's messenger sent to His 
people to encourage and to help them to do His holy will. 

This prophecy concerning the coming mes- 
Jo P hn iCati0n t0 senger, called "Elijah the prophet," is unmis- 
takably applied by Jesus to John the Baptist 
(Matt. 11 :10 ; 17 :10-13). Also the angel that foretold the birth 
of John announced that he should "go before his face in the 
spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to 
the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the 
just" (Luke 1:17). It is apparent that John did exactly such a 
work as is here foreseen, and accomplished that final prophetic 
task in behalf of his people which this utterance contemplates. 
The bold, reformatory spirit of John, removed from the courts 
of luxury, and unbending before the influences of a sinful gen- 
eration, were singularly like that of the old-time prophet of 
Cherith and Carmel. The messenger came, and prepared the way 
before his Lord, that truly men might "abide the clay of his 
coming." In the undying spirit of this prophecy men are now 
exhorted in the light of a better day to turn their 'hearts one 
toward another, that they may abide the final coming of him 
who will reward every man according to his works. 

7. The Ideal Man. Psalm xci. 



It is very uncertain how many Psalms arose 
1 
Psalms. 



after the Exile, and yet more uncertain at what 



particular time any one of these was composed. 
Among others, the contents of Psalms xlvii., lxxxv., xci., xciii., 
xcv.-c. are such as to convince most scholars that they belong to 
this period. Their general thought relates to the exaltation and 
works of Jehovah and the consequent blessings of devout men. 
They are not primarily predictive, as many of the earlier Psalms, 
but are rather hymns of praise. It is because they describe ideal 
persons and conditions, which, Jehovah excepted, can find their 
realization only in the future, that we must consider them in 
connection with Messianic prophecy. The remarkable similarity 
of their contents renders it unnecessarv to treat at length the 



410 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

whole group. A study of the ninety-first, ninety-seventh and 
ninety-eighth will develop the leading messianic features. 

The literary form of this Psalm is unusual. 
Psalm °xci ^ s our P resen * Hebrew text stands, the first 

verse is an unfinished general statement con- 
cerning the man that is near to God; the second verse is the 
man's response, announcing his trust in Jehovah; verses 3-8 are 
addressed to the man advising him of the value of Jehovah's 
help; verse 9a is the man's reaffirmation of trust addressed to 
Jehovah; verses 9b-13 are a second address to the man regard- 
ing Jehovah's care; and verses 14-16 are Jehovali's remarks con- 
cerning the man. promising deliverance and long life. Some 
scholars, following the Septuagint and Syriac versions, change 
ver. 2, so as to make it read "he will say," instead of "I will 
say," and remove the responsive character of the first part of 
the poem ; but the dramatic form of the piece is assured by the 
latter part, and nothing is gained. Various other assumptions 
concerning the text of verses 1, 2 have similar results, except 
that a greater smoothness may be secured. As our text reads, 
the arrangement should be as follows : 

(General statement concerning the devout man.) 
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, 
That abideth under the shadow of the Almighty — 

(Devout man interrupting.) 
I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; 
My God, in whom I trust. 

(Address to the devout man.) 
For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, 
And from the deadly pestilence. 
He will cover thee with his pinions, 
And under his wings shalt thou take refuge. 
His truth is a shield and a buckler. 
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, 
Nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 
For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, 
Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 
A thousand shall fall at thy side, 
And ten thousand at thy right hand; 
But it shall not come nigh thee. 
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, 
And see the reward of the wicked. 



THE IDEAL MAN. 411 

(Devout man, addressing God.) 
For thou, O Jehovah, art my refuge! 

(Address to the devout man.) 

Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; 

There shall no evil befall thee, 

Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. 

For he will give his angels charge over thee, 

To keep thee in all thy ways. 

They shall bear thee up in their hands, 

Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: 

The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under. foot. 

(God, concerning the devout man.) 

Because he hath set his love upon me, 

Therefore will I deliver him; 

I will set him on high, 

Because he hath known my name. 

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; 

I will be with him in trouble: 

I will deliver him, and honor him. 

With long life will I satisfy him, 

And show him my salvation. 

The leading thought of the Psalm is divine 
p 1V + ne t - on , protection to the man that trusts Jehovah. Two 

kinds of danger are set forth as samples of those 
to which man is exposed, the danger from enemies and that from 
pestilence. The one sends forth the "arrow by day," the other 
inspires "terror by night;" for the "pestilence walketh in dark- 
ness," and the enemy is a "destruction that wasteth at noon- 
day." Jehovah is a Deliverer from both; from the pestilence 
"He will cover thee with His pinions," from the enemy His 
"truth is a shield and a buckler." The wicked will fall by 
thousands and tens of thousands in sight of the devout man, 
but the evil shall not come near him. All this is expressive of the 
personal nearness of God to individual men and the possibility 
of men coming into the closest relations with God. While this 
was many times typified in the earlier periods, as in the lives of 
Joseph, Moses, and David, it is in the Messianic era, where each 
person makes an individual covenant with Jehovah and receives 
personal remission of sins, that the ideal relations are secured. 



412 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

The doctrine of angelic ministration here an- 
An . nonnced can hardly be set down as a mere poetic 

fancy. It does, indeed, heighten the effect, 
and give vividness to the thought of God's attending care: but 
the visitations of angels were understood by the Hebrews as his- 
toric, and in the New Testament their waiting upon Jesus at 
different times confirms to men the truth of this utterance. Satan 
quoted this passage in the temptation (Matt. 4:6), and assumed 
that with Jesus it was an accepted truth on which he might de- 
pend. Jesus' reply does not deny it, but teaches that man must 
not thrust himself into dangers to try the divine promise, since 
that would be but a public exhibit of a lack of faith. The New 
Testament doctrine of angelic service corresponds to the thought 
of this Psalm, as may be clearly seen in Heb. 1:14, "Are they 
not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake 
of them that shall inherit salvation?" Thus the ideal man en- 
joys an ideal watchcare. 

The address by Jehovah with which the Psalm 
Jehovah Y closes adds to the idea of divine deliverance the 

distinct promise of promotion in the words, "I 
will set him on high." This means, not simply above dangers, 
but above his fellows ; and this reappears in the words of the 
next verse, "and honor him." Besides this, is the promise of 
long life during which Jehovah's salvation may be fully observed. 
The ideal man is therefore not to be merely delivered from dan- 
gers, but to be so prospered that he may know assuredly that 
it is Jehovah that is saving him from trouble. Yet he is not 
saved from having trouble, but from being overcome by it. The 
promise is, "I will be with him in trouble." When saved, it is 
by being brought out of trouble. This dispositon of God to rescue 
men that trust Him is the Christian's highest guaranty that he 
will receive the ultimate salvation of the soul from sin, which is 
a vital element of the Christian's hope. 

8. The Ideal God. Psalm xcvii. 

As the last Psalm studied presents the man 

p he that is above all other men, so this describes 

the God that is above all gods. In composition 






THE IDEAL GOD. 413 

it is mainly a series of quotations and echoes of Isaiah, Micah 
and other Psalms. It may be readily divided into four stanzas 
of three verses each. 

Jehovah reigneth; let the earth rejoice; 

Let the multitude of isles be glad. 

Clouds and darkness are round about him: 

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of h,is throne. 

A fire goeth before him. 

And burneth up his adversaries round about. 

His lightnings lightened the world : 

The earth saw. and trembled. 

The mountains melted like wax at the presence of Jehovah, 

At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 

The heavens declare his righteousness, 

And all the peoples have seen his glory. 

Let them all be put to shame that serve graven images, 

That boast themselves of idols: 

Worship him all ye gods. 

Zion heard and was glad, 

And the daughters of Judah rejoiced, 

Because of thy judgments, O Jehovah. 

For thou, Jehovah, ait most high above all the earth: 

Thou art exalted far above all gods. 

O ye that love Jehovah, hate evil: 

He preserveth the souls of It's saints; 

He delivered them out of the hand of the wicked. 

Light is sown for the righteous, 

And gladness for the upright in heart. 

Be glad in Jehovah, ye righteous, 

And give thanks to his holy, memorial name. 

"Jehovah reigneth" is the key-note of this 
egnancy whole group of Psalms, and occurs often as 

the opening clause. It is especially appropriate 
here where the regnancy of Jehovah over gods and men is the 
chief theme. His royal attendants "round about Him" are 
clouds and darkness; and the foundations of His throne are 
righteousness and justice. A fire is His forerunner, devouring 
His adversaries before His stately march. All nature is moved 
at His coming. The earth trembles at the brightness of His 
lightnings, the mountains melt at His presence, and the heavens 
proclaim His righteousness. Of all this the peoples are witness. 
Judah in particular rejoices at this vindication of Jehovah over 



414 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

heathen divinities, and recognizes the true exaltation of her 
God. Here is the heart of the Psalm as respects its Messianic 
bearings; for it accomplishes a Messianic end only as it inspires 
weak-hearted Judah in her struggles for faith, and fits her for 
her sacred, national task. 

The closing stanza is hortatory ; and if written 

-d^JL 1 ,?^ at the same time with the earlier part, which 

Prophecy. 

some tor meager reasons call in question, it was 
intended to impress that cheer and confidence which the great- 
ness of Jehovah ought to evoke. The expressions, "He preserv- 
eth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand 
of the wicked," suggest the probable discouragements and dan- 
gers that beset Judah when the Psalm was issued. It had at the 
time a prophetic, national value. 

9. The Ideal Praise. Psalm xcviii. 

The ideal God calls for ideal praise, and it 
The • . . 

Pgal is here presented as a universal song in honor 

of Jehovah. It is composed of three strophes 

of three verses each, and much of the material is borrowed from 

the latter part of Isaiah. 

Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song; 

For he hath done marvellous things: 

His right hand and his holy arm hath brought him salvation. 

Jehovah hath made known h^s salvation: 

His righteousness hath he revealed in the sight of the nations. 

He hath remembered his lovingkindness 

And his faithfulness toward the house of Israel: 

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 

Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, all the earth: 
Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises. 
Sing praises unto Jehovah with the harp;. 
With the harp and the voice of melody. 
"With trumpets and sound of cornet 
Make a joyful noise before the King, Jehovah. 

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; 
The world, and they that dwell therein; 
Let the floods clap their hands; 



THE IDEAL PRAISE. 415 

Let the hills sing for joy together 
Before Jehovah; for he cometh to judge the earth: 
He will judge the world with righteousness, 
And the peoples with equity. 

The grounds of praise are the works of Jeho- 
Praise dS ° f van ' in that He nas ''done marvelous things" 

and "brought salvation," and His character in 
the points of righteousness, lovingkindness and faithfulness. 
These were the fundamental matters of prophetic importance in 
the period following the Exile, when an ignorance of them 
among the Jews would be fatal to their Messianic office. These 
were grounds which could be urged in favor of no divinity ; and 
hence a praise is due Jehovah which exceeds any other that might 
be offered. The reasons for such praise came very near to the 
hearts of the Jewish people, who themselves through the faith- 
fulness of Jehovah had been saved from Exile; and hence the 
fervor of the exhortation, "Break forth and sing for joy, yea, 
sing praises." 



In addition to the melody of grateful sontr. 
Praise. 



reinforced by the sound of musical instruments, 



combining to form man's greatest possible ex- 
pression of praise, the sea is called upon to roar, the floods to 
clap their hands, the hills to sing for joy, the world and they 
that dwell therein to join in one mighty anthem of praise to the 
Most High. This universal ascription of honor to Jehovah is 
because He is the universal God; for "He will judge the world 
with righteousness, and the peoples with equity." While this 
prophecy is not new, it is here put in new form, and is highly 
Messianic. Such universality of praise belongs to the future 
ideal age, as the world also awaits its universal judgment. 



These are all wonderful prophecies, divinely instinct with dis- 
tant blessing; and while we rest the pen, may we pause to consider 
that it was only in the souls of Hebrew prophets, touched with 
the thoughts of the Infinite, zealous with national expectation, 
and personally yearning for the kingdom and peace of God, that 



4l6 THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 

such breadth of sympathy, such height of hope and such reaches 
of vision were possible. These great seers of the things of Gcd 
and men. in their humble efforts to help their weak and faltering 
countrymen, have marked the path along which the world will 
do itself the greatest honor steadily to advance yet ten thousand 
years ! 



INDEX OF TEXTS. 



GENESIS. 

i. 2 62 

i. 26-30 61, 121 

iii. 14, 15 ...63, 94 

viii. 20-22 65 

viii. 22 202 

ix. 8-17 65, 359 

ix. 25-27 45, 67 

x. 2 245 

xi. 7 61 

xii. 1-3 69 

xiv. 2, 3 142 

xv - 70 

xv. 17, 18 22 

xvii. 1-21 70 

xvii. 12, 13 324 

xviii. 1 26 

xviii. 2, 22 22 

xviii. 17, 18 69 

xix. 1 LZ 

xix. 25 142 

xx. 7 19 

xxii. 16-18 71 

xxvi. 2-5 74 

xxvii. 27-29 45, 75, 81 

xx viii. 13-15 75 

xxviii. 18 81 

xxxii. 27, 28 76 

xxxv. 14 81 

xxxvii. 5-11 20 

xl. 5 20 

xli 20 

xliv. 6 36 

xlix 45, 48 

xlix. 3-12 76 

xlix. 9, 10 51 

xlix. 22-26 79 

EXODUS. 

iii. 6 22 

iv. 16 18 

iv. 22, 23 84 



vii. 1 18, 19 

xv. 20 19 

xix. 3-6 86 

xxiii. 13 140 

xxiii. 20-25 46 

xxiv. 1-8 143 

xxx. 26-29 219 

xxxiii. 17-23 22 

xxxiii. 20 23 

xxxix. 8-14 32 

LEVITICUS. 

i. 4 218 

xvi. 29 327 

xxv. 8-28 334 

NUMBERS. 

ii. 4, 26 77 

x. 14 77 

xi. 29 19 

xii. 6 19, 20 

xiii. 8 77, 81 

xiv. 14 356 

xix. 2-9, 20 239 

xxiii. 7-10 48, 88 

xxiii. 18-24 89 

xxiv. 5-9 90 

xxiv. 15-19 91 

xxiv. 20-24 48 

xxv. 12, 13 92, 203 

xxvi. 11 , 181 

xxvi. 55 33 

DEUTERONOMY. 

xiii. 1-3 37 

xviii. 9-22 46 

xviii. 15-19 94 

xviii. 22 37 

xxx 45 

xxxii. 6, 8, 9 84 

xxxii. 36 298. 



4 i8 



THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



JOSHUA. 

XV . 21 1st 

xviiii. 25 205 

H DGES. 

iv. 4 19 

v. Id 147 

vi. 32 140 

xx. 26 .",27 

\x. 2s 93 

I. SAMUEL. 

i. lit 205 

ii. 27 19 

ii. 35, 36 98 

iii. 1 19 

iv. 3,4 7S 

vii. 6 3127 

viii. 1 99 

ix ; 1,2 77 

ix. 9 18 

x. 6, 10 24 

x. 10, 11 39 

x. 20-24 .34 

xiii. 13. 14 39, -±8 

xv. 22 .295 

xvi. 13 1U7 

xix. 20 24 

xix. 23, 24 26 

xxiii. 9-11 33 

xxvi. 19 123 

xxx. 7. s 33 

xxx. 26 122 

11. SAMUEL. 

ii. 4 107 

ii. 8 ' 140 

iv. 4 140 

v. 16 140 

vi. 12-15 119 

vi. 14 104 

vii. 8-16 . .48, 52, 99, 114, 203, 208 

viii. 2 91 

xiii. 17 93 

xi. 21 140 

-x i i . 1 1 .1 4d 

xii. Ki-14 48 

xxii. 44 .11 117 



I. KINGS. 

ii. 27. 31 93, 99 

iii. 1 114 

iii. 1 2d 

viii. 32, 36 298 

xvi. 31 114 

xviii. 4, 22 39 

xvii. 1 49 

xviii. 26-2S 20 

xviii . 36-38 43 

xviii. 44 49 

II. KINGS. 

ii. 3, -1, 16 39 

iii. 15 25 

iv. 38 39 

xv. 28 l:l(i 

xv. 29 165 

xvii. 1 40 

xvii. (i 14:; 

xviii. 13-xix. 37 177 

xviii. 17 40 

xix. 1 40 

xix. 31 103 

xxiv. 7 195 

xxiv. 10-16 201, 229 

I. CHRONICLES. 

viii. 34 140 

ix. 17, 19 lsl 

xii. lsl 

xiv. 7 140 

xiii. 13 219 

xxiv. 3 93 

xix. 29 40 

II. CHRONICLES. 

viii. 33 140 

ix. 29 40 

xi. 6 104 

xi. 12-16 244 

xii. 3 171 

xiv. 9-13 171 

xv. 1, 2 27 

xv. 9 244 

xx. 20-27 lsl, 379 

xxvi. 20 105 

xxvi. 22 153 

xxx. Ills 244 



INDEX OF TEXTS. 



419 



xxxiv. •- 19 

xxxvi. 22 346 

EZRA. 

1. 1 346 

i. 1-14 219, 223 

xii. S ..382 

vi. 14. 15 385, 397 

vii. 13-26 ..220 

x . 3 406 

NEHEM1AH. 

i. 3 194 

ii. 5-8 .220 

vii. 64 185 

xi. 19 *....'.. .1S1 

xi. 25 184 

xii. 12-17 389 

JOB. 

xiv. 13-15 289 

xix. 25-27 2S9 

xxxiii. 14-16 2n 

PSALMS. 

ii 106, 287 

vi.. viii 120 

xvi 122 

xvii. 15 288 

xviii, 43 50, 117 

xxii ..125 

xxiv. 7-10 118 

xxxviii. 6 291 

xl. 6-10 :...294 

>:1. 12-17 296 

x!v 113 

xlvi., xlviii 181, 391 

xlix 297 

xlix. 15 289 

lxx 296 

lxxi. . 297 

!xxii. 1-17 llo 

lxxiii. 20 21 

Ixxiii. 24 Iso 

lxxxii. 1, 6 115 

Ixxxvii 10:: 

Ixxxix 208 

. :',. 1 5- 











409 


xcvii. . . . 








■ 412 
414 




51 


102, 


396, 


398 






174 


exviii. 22, 


23 






176 








"(IS 




PROVERBS 






■ 33 










34 


xxx . 19 . . 








162 


vi . 8 


SONG 






168 




ISAIAH. 






■ 152 


i 10 18 








4'? 










■ -49 










42 


ii 2-4 ... 






155. 


395 


iv 2-6 . . 






157 








• .23 


, 52 
61 


vi 8 








vi 13 • • ■ ■ 








• 168 










'269! 


vii. 10-17 






.48, 


160 
■ -43 


viii 3 








19 


vi'i 8 






162, 


167 


viii 18 






. 395 




48 


162 


-167 


176 


x. 6-13 .. 
x 33 34 




.265 
168 


xi 167 

xi. 1-5 . . . 
xii. 2-xiv. 
xiv. 24-27 
xiv. 28-32 


, 176, 182, 
.158, 196, 


199, 

202 


200 
2:! 7 


396 

395 

25 








"59 








"lid 


xv. 1-xvi. 


12 






.261 


xvii l'M4 








964 










265 










171 


xix 1-17 








"66 


xix 19 . 








17-' 










. 268 


xx i. 1-10 








. 269 



420 



THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



xxi. 11. 12, 13-17 272 

xxii. 1-14 273 

xxii. 15-22 275 

xxiii 277 

xxiv. -xxvii 281 

xxviii. 14-18 174 

xxix. 8 21 

xxxiii. 13-24 177, 181 

xxxiii. 14-34 391 

xxxiv 289 

xxxv 335 

xxxvi. 3 27(3 

xxxvii . 9 265 

xxxvii. 33-35 177 

xxxvii. 36, 37 259, 264, 265 

xlMxvi 297, 368 

xl. 1-11 340 

xli. 1-4, 25 343 

xli. 8-10 298 

xlii. 1-9 299,318 

xliii. 1-21 301 

xliv. 1-5 303 

xliv. 5 193 

xliv. 24-xlv. 25 344 

xlviii. 14-22 347 

xlviii. 16 332 

xlix. 1-13 305, 332 

xlix. 6 313 

xlix. 14-23 348, 368 

1. 1-3 350, 368, 369 

1. 4-9 332 

li. 1-lii. 12 352 

lii. 13-liii.-12 308 

liii 48, 402 

liv 357 

lv. 320 

lv. 3 102 

lvi., lvii 360 

Ivii. 14-21 362 

lviii 326 

lix. 15-21 328 

lx. 364 

lxi 330 

Ixii. 367 

Ixv., lxvi 370 

JEREMIAH. 

i. 17 36 

ii. 1, 2 42 

iii. 14-18 .198 



vi. 17 19 

xiv. 14 37 

xviii. 2 146 

xx. 9, 10 28, 36 

xxii. 24-dO 201 

xxiii. 5 158, 395 

xxiii. 5-8 200 

xxiii. 16, 30 36 

xxvi. 18 183 

xxvii. 1-8 43 

xxvii. 9 21 

xxviii. 9 37 

xxix. 10, 11 30, 41, 347 

xxix. 26 26 

xxx . , xxxi 203 

xxxi. 33, 34 362, 396 

xxxii. 6-15 204 

xxxiii. 14-22 200, 395 

xxxiii . 15 158 

xxxvi. 3 45 

xxxvii. 5 233 

xxxviii. 6 294 

xl. 1 205 

xliv. 30 233 

xlviii. 262 

EZEKIEL. 

i. 1-13 229 

iii. 17 19 

iv. 4-6 22"7 

viii. 1 229 

xi. 14-21 229, 239 

xvii. 22-24 232 

xx. 1 233 

xxi. 24-27 233 

xxix. 10 171 

xxxiii. 1, 2 42 

xxxiii. 21 236 

xxxiv. 1-31 i236 

xxxvi. 3, 17, 23-28 238 

xxxvii, 1-14 225, 240, 318 

xxxviii., xxxix 245 

xl. -xlviii. 247 

ii 21 

DANIEL. 

ii. 31-45 48, 212 

vii 213 

vii. 26, 27 48 

viii. 1 214 



INDEX OF TEXTS. 



421 



ix. 1 216 

ix. 20, 27 216, 228 

x. 13 224 

xii 224 

xii. 2 289 

HOSEA. 

i. 2-ii. 1 138 

i. 11 170 

ii. 2, 3 139 

iii. 140 

iii. 1-5 43 

iv. 1 42 

ix. 7 .=. 19 

xi. 8-11 142 

xiii. 14 142, 225, 318 

xiv. 2-9 143 

JOEL. 

i., ii 376 

iii. 379 

AMOS. 

iii. 7 298 

iii. 8 29, 36 

ix. 8-15 134 

OBADIAH. 
15-21 293 

MICAH. 

i. I: 1 ! 94 

iii. 8 27 

iv. 1-3 155 

iv. 10 184 

v. 1-5 183 

NAHUM. 
iii. 8 279 

HABAKKUK. 
i. iii 195 

ZKI'HANIAH. 

i. 1-4, 14-18 '. 190 

ii. 1-3 190 

iii 190 



HAGGAI. 

i. 4-11 384 

i. 13 19 

i- 15 397 

ii. 3-19 386 

ii. 21-23 388 

ZECHARIAH. 

i. 8, 18 ; 22 

i- 14-21 390 

"• 1 22 

"■ 4-13 39i 

]ii - "-10 395 

iii- 8 158 

vi - 12 158 

vi. 12-15 396 

viii. 392 

viii. 19 327 

ix.-xi 146 

ix.-xiv 399 

ix. 9, 10 147 

x. 6-12 i 4 9 

xi. 1-14 149 

xii. 1-9 402 

xiii. 7-9 400 

xiv. 1-21 291, 403 

MALACHI. 

i. 1. 8, 10 406 

ii. 10-16 406 

iii. 1-5, 16-18; iv 406 

iii- 2, 3 154 

MATTHEW. 

i. 20-23 161 

ii- 6 184 

ii. 17, 18 205 

iv. 6 412 

viii. 11 288 

xi. 10 409 

xvii. 10-13 409 

xx. 28 317 

xxi. 5 147 

xxi. 42 176 

xxii. 2 288 

xxii. 41-45 27, 103 

xxiv. 29 291 

xxiv. 37-41 381 



4 22 

.XX vi. 31 



xxvii. 3 1" 
xxvii . 9 
xxvii. 57 



THE MESSIANIC MESSAGE. 



4(ll 
151 
146 
316 



.4iiL 



xiii. 33 109" 

xiii. 34 102 

xiii. 35, 36 122, 12:; 

xvi. 16 35 

xvii. 30 247 

xix. (i 378 

xxvi. 16-18 23 



. 18-21 

i. 12 . 
v. 15 . 



4.1 Vi 
40 



x. 34, 35 

xii. 1.") ■ 

xiv. 1-3 
xiv. 26 

xvi. 13 



23-26 . . 
26-ii. 4 



JOHN. 



.409 
.219 



. .332 
5, 26 

. . 288 



185 

62 

192 

95 

24". 

..225. 289 



.186 



11-16 SI 

115 

147 

22S 

32 

32 



.378 
. . 33 

.377 



ii. 4 27. 37s 

ii 20-30 123 

ii. 25 122 

ii. 38 377, 378 

iii. 22, 23 95 

iv. 25-27 H9 

v. 32 377, 378 

vii. 37 95 

viii. 19 :!7S 

x. 9-16 22, 25 

xi. L6 378 



i. 17 ■•• • 
iv. 14-16 

viii. 19-22 



1 96 
317 







xv 9 


. . 113 


1. CORINTHIANS, 
ii. 13 


....31 
. . .397 


viii, 6 


62 


xiii 9 . 


30 




289 




. . .2' 8 


II. CORINTHIANS, 
iii. 17 


. . .330 



GALATIANS 



ii. 11 
ii. 29 



324 
1 96 
203 





13 . 

20 • 

21 . 

1 
Hi . 


EPHESIANS. 

a 




1 




: 


ii. 
iv 


. THESSALONIANS. 



THESSALONIANS 



ii. 8-1! 



4D 

176 

337 

9 



381 



HEBREWS. 

1 116, 135 

S, 9 115 



INDEX OF TEXTS. 



423 



i. 14 

ii. 5-9 ■• 
ii. 11, 12 
vii. 1-17 • 



x. 4-10 



i. ]>i-12 
ii. 3-8 

ii. (5 • • • 



412 

• ... ..121 

203 

104 

2(17. 288 
294 



36, 10.3 
. . . .17(5 
81 



i. 21 . . . 
iii. 7-10 



24. 31 
. . .291 



I. JOHN. 



iv. 1: 



KEVKI.ATHIN. 



1. e ... 
i. 13-18 



xi. 11 



xx. 11-15 . 

xx. 12, 13 
xxi. 1 



.54 

372 



202 
.23 
22(3 
.54 
. -22 
,228 



373 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Aaron, a prophet 18 

Abraham, change of name.... 72 
Abraham, God's promises to.. 69 

Abraham, his vision 22 

Adoption of Israel 84 

Ahaz, policy of 160 

Alexander the Great 278 

Amos, the book of 134 

Amos, the prophet 133 

Anathoth, field in 203 

Ancient of days 215 

Antioehus Epiphanes, ...215,223 

Apollo 17 

Arabia 272 

Ark, entrv into Jerusalem. .. .119 

Ark, its loss 199, 234 

Artaxerxes' decree 219 

Ashdod captured 260, 268 

Assurbanipal 278 

Assyria, prophecy of.. 173, 258, 264 

Astyages 342 

Atonement 218, 313 

Atonement, day of . .327, 333, 402 

Baal, name of 140 

Babylon 193, 251, 268 

Balaam's prophecies 87 

Beasts, the four 214 

Belshazzar 213 

Bethlehem 184 

Birth in Zion 194 

Blessings of patriarchs 45 

Branch 

157, 167, 200, 237, 394, 396 

Canaan cursed 67 

Charchemish, battle of ...195, 255 

Chebar located 229 

Children, praise by 120 

Citizen, the ideal 178, 194 

Conditional predictions 37 

Conversion of world 304, 393 

Corner-stone 174 



Court prophets 47 

Covenant, the firm 223 

Covenant, the new 

207, b24, 330, 334, 359, 362 

Covenant, of the day 202 

Creation account 44 

Crises, prophecy in 49 

Cyprus (Kittini, 279 

Cyrus, career of 342 

Cyrus, decree of .219, 223, 270, 342 

Damascus, doom of 262 

Daniel, man and book 212 

Darius 383 

David, dvnasty of 

92, 100, 135, 209, 234, 323 

David, projected 125, 323 

Davidic prophecies 98 

Deborah 19 

Deliverance, prophecies of.... 

117, 128, 165, 343, 348 

Delphi, oracles of 26 

Dervishes 26 

Divination 36 

Dodona, oracles of 26 

Doom prophecies 251 

Dreams 20-22 

Ecstatic state 25 

Edom, doom of 272,289 

Edom, contrast with Judah. . . 

293, 335 

Egypt and people 172, 195, 268 

Elam 270 

Election of Israel io7, o43 

Eli, priesthood of 98 

Eliakim 275 

Elisha and minstrel 25 

Ephraim, doom of 262 

Ephrathah 184 

Ethiopia and people 171, 265 

Eunuchs 361 

Exile predicted. .134, 140, 143, 195 



426 



THE MKSSIANIC MESSAGE. 



Exile, return foretold 

134, 17' i. 200, 303 
Ezekiel and work 229 

Faith, value of 196 

Fakirs, conduel nf 27 

Fasts 327 

Fountain of eleansing 400 

Fulfilment 53, 152. 205 

Galilee eapl ured 165 

Gai ments parted L28 

Goal of prophecy 57, 166, 287 

Gog a n.| Magog 245 

Grapes, sum- 286 

Habakkuk 195 

I [agga i. \\ ork nf .'is;; 

Heart, of flesh 238 

Heart, the one 229 

Heathen, in prophecy 47 

Hebrew nation 57 

High-priesthood 93, 98,204 

II istoric si tt"ngs 48-52 

History used by prophets 43 

Holy Spirit gives visions 24 

Holy Spirit in inspiration. .. .27-32 
Hosea 's children ami ministry 

* 138 
Hosea 's unfaithful wife. .43, 14L 

Huldah, a prophetess 19 

Husband, Jehovah 

138, 199, 207, 350, 399 
Husband, by remarriage 367 

rmage of God 62 

Immanuel 160, Ids 

rmmortality 243, 2^s 

I lolian ravings 26 

Inspiration 27-32, 45 

I nstruction, Messianic 

156, 169, 170, 207 

Instinct ion, prophetic '...42 

Interpretation, principle of 79 

85, 186 

[saac, promise to 74 

Isaac blessing Jacob 74 

Isaiah, againsl Jeremiah 36 

Isaiah, person and work lf>2 

Isaiah, vision of 23, 24, 153 



Isaiah, wife of 19 

[shbosheth, name of 140 

[srael a widow 350 

Ithamar, priesthood of 93 

[deal God 412 

[deal man 409 

ideal praise 414 

Ideal prophecies 53 

Jacob 's blessing 75 

Jacob, change of name 76 

Japheth's enlargement 67 

Jehoiakim 255 

•lehoiachin 201, 212, 256 

Jehoshaphat 181 

Jeremiah ami book 294, 298 

Jeremiah called insane 26 

Jerusalem, fall of 202, fc73 

Jezebel, idolatry of 43 

Joel 's prophecy 1 33, 375 

John, Baptist 409 

John, vision of 23 

Joseph bli ssed 79 

Joseph an interpreter 20 

Joshua, the priest 382, 394 

Josiah, reign of 190, 198, 255 

Judah blessed 76 

Judali, size of tribe 77 

Judgment 281, 370 380 

402, 407, 415 

Kedar 273. 365 

Keystone of prophecy 257 

King in his beauty 179 

Kingdom, Messianic 58, 212 

Law and prophecy 408 

Levites 2()2 

Limitations 34, 53, 29, 288 

Fit erature 17 

Fots. casting of 33 

Maher-shalal-hash'-baz 4.". 

Malachi and uook 4<)0 

.Man. pie eminent 62. 121 

Marriage hymn 129 

Media ' 213, 270 

Megiddo, battle of 255 

Melchizedek 104 

Mephibosheth L40 

Messenger of Jehovah 406 



GENERAL INDEX. 



427 



Messiah, divinity of ....116, 165 

Messiah, glory of 170 

Messiah, humanity of 152, 296 

Messiah, priesthood of v 7 ,93 

104. 222', 235, 396,398 
Messiah, royalty of. 77, 79. 91, L04 

114, 136, 166 183, 200 
203, 204*; 235 

Micah, the prophet 183 

Mi. Lam, a prophetess 19 

M iss mis 157 

Mitre and crown 233 

Moab, 'liium of 26 

Montanus 29 

Moral element 56 

Mm ning hymn 120 

Mosaic prophecies 84 

Moses' vision 22 

Nal idns 213, :!42 

Nations to be gathered 155 

200, 373 

Nebuchadnezzar 21, 195 

212, 213, 232, 255, 27S 

Necromancers 26 

New heavens 372 

Night sony 120 

Nineveh 193, 278 

Noah ami Deluge 65 

Numbers, prophetic 54. 215 

219. 225, 226 

I >a1 i, of God 106, 359, 368 

Obadiah hid prophets 39 

Obadiah, booh of 29:2 

Objects of prophecy 56 



Peace among nations 157, Lb5 

109, 17:;. 179. 182, 206, 237 

Persia, prince of 224 

Persian power 303, 383 

Pharaoh 's dream 20 

Pharaoh Hopbra ....233 

Pharaoh Necho 255 

Phinehas 9:: 

Philistia, -loom of 259 

Plantation 207 

Potter's fid, I 151 

ep1 upon precepl 175 

Prediction is. 'i~>. Is:: 



Priesthood perpetual 202 

Priestly nation 86 

Prophet defined 17 

Prophet like Moses 94 

Prophet not passive 29 

Prophecy defined 17 

Prophecy conditional ...3.7, 51, 54 

Prophecy false 35 

Prophecy fragmentary 53 

Prophecy, object of . . .56, 5S, 183 

Prophecy, periods of 38 

Prophecy, relation to times. 30, 4 s 

Prophecy, tests of 36 

Prophecy unconditional 52 

Prophetess 19 

Prophetic conscience 36 

Prophetic environment 51 

Prophetic history 43 

Prophetic instruction 42 

Prophetic lawgivers 46 

Prophetic literature 50 

Prophetic ideals 52, r t r K jj\ 

ISO, 247, 296, 331, 338, 360 
373, 377, 380 

Prophetic optimism 367 

Prophetic perspective 54 

Prophetic system 53 

Prophetic threats, promises. . . . 49 
Prophetic poetry . . . 45, 279, 338 

I Prophetic schools _ 3'1 

1 Prophetic writings 40, 50 

Prophets, of Baal 26 

Prophets, counsellors .".9, 46 

Prophets, office of 42 

Prophets, office ceasing 218 

Prophets, sanity of. . 26 

Prophets, son 'of 39 

! Prophets, sons of 39 

159. 237 

Psalms, post-exilic 409 

Purification of Israel 238 



Rachel w 

Resurrect! 
Resnrrecti 



205 

2D5 

12.', 



itional 
142. : 



2 to, 289 



Sabbatl 

Sacrili.-i 

Samuel. 



. .'328, 361, 373 

295 

3t 99 



428 



THE MESSIANIC .MESSAGE. 



Sanctuary 230, 245 

Sargon 260. 268 

Saul, madness of 26 

Scythians 245 

Seer denned IS 

Sennacherib 168, 177, 184 

264, 265, 268, 273, 276, 278 

Serpent 64 

Servant of Jehovah 

297-320, 332, 402 
Setting of prophecy .... 59, 60 

Seventy weeks 216 

Seventy years 280 

Shalmanezer 278 

Shebna 275 

Shem 's blessing 67 

Shepherd 236, 400 

Shepherd, Messianic 186, 399 

Shepherd, rejected 149 

Shepherd, stone of Israel 81 

Sheshbazzar 282 

Shiloh interpreted 78,79 

Signs of times 30 

Sons of Korah 181, 193 

Sprinkling 238 

Spirit, gift of 376 

Spirit, the new 229,238 

Staff, Beauty and Bands 151 

Staff, Joseph and Judah 243 

Star out of Jacob- ■■ 91 

Stone of Israel 81 

Stone cut from mountain 212 

Stone rejected 176 

Stone shown Joshua 396 

Suffering 125, 294, 310 

Suffering, problem of 312 

Sun darkened 380 



Tarshish 279, 365, 371 

Temple rebuilt 383, 397 

Ten Tribes lost 143, 200 

Thebes 179, 279 

Themes of prophecy 48 

Theophanies * 22, 60 

Thirty pieces of silver 151 

Threats and promises 49 

Tiglath Pileser 165,259 

i Time limits 54 

Tirhakah 265 

Triumph of Jehovah 119 

Typical propheev 115, 119 

"205, 209, 295, 333 
Tyre 277 

Union 200, 243 

Urim and thummim 32 

Uzziah 153 

Visions, mental 24 

Visions, sense 22 

Watchman 19. 281 

Way of holiness 335,363 

"Weeks, meaning of 219 

Year-day theory 220 

Zechariah 389 

Zedekiah 203, 232, 234, 256 

Zephaniah 190 

Zerubbabel 382, 388, 397 

Zion 180, 182,194 

209, 288, 360, 364 
391, 392 



ERRATA. 

The generosity of the reader will perhaps enable him not to si 
few less important errors unnoticed in this list: 

Page 77, line 11 from top, "appreciative" should be appreciable. 

Page 89, line 11 from bottom, "wold-ox" should be wild-ox. 

Page 141, line 5 from bottom, "to" should be omitted. 

Page 173, line 6 from bottom, "Palestian" should be Palestinian. 

Page 276, line 2 from bottom, "63" should be 36. 

Page 308, line 5 from top, "21" shouM be 12. 

Page 342, line 7 from bottom, "before" should be omitted. 

Page 362, line 15 from top, the references should be 31:33, 34. 



PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION 

BY 
CLINTON LOCKHART. 

Since the days when Ernesti first interested the World in the 
of [nterpretation, and began to unfold its possibilities, men 

have felt that the subject deserved a more complete presentation 
based on a more scientific method of study. Since then many works 
have been issued in different languages, treating various phases of 
• nee. and some works have attempted to cover the whole field; 
but one or the other of two weaknesses has generally marked these 
efforts, either they were too fragmentary and partial to give a full 
view of the subject, or they were encumbered with materials that 
were but indirectly related to the study, and were hence too cumber- 
some for the classroom or the general reader. 

Nevertheless, these works had their place in the progress of her- 
meneutical research. Many disputed points were discussed, and many 
doubtful questions have been practically and rightly settled. Scholars 
of every creed have learned that interpretation is not a matter of 
faith, of opinion, Or even of taste, but a process regulated and govern- 
ed by inexorable laws, by principles that are natural, not arbitrary, 
that are discovered, not made, that are universal, not sectarian nor 
even religious. 

In the "Principles of Interpretation"' by Dr. Lockhart. the in- 
ductive method has been pursued. Passages of Scripture, easy and 
difficult, are clearly and naturally interpreted before the reader, the 
pr< i 3S distinctly pointed out, and the princ'ple is clearly grasped and 
succinctly stated in the form cf a rule. By this method the reader 
does not fail to discern the vital 1 elation of the principle to the neces- 
sary process of interpretation. He sees that the rule is not a dogma 
nor a decree, but that it is a formula based on the necessary laws 
of thought and speech. 

This work is marvelously comprehensive. By exchiding extraneous 
materials, the author finds room for a larger number of the laws of 
interpretation than any other work contains. Bes'des this, the ap- 
plications to the different features of Biblical study, prose, poetry, fig- 
ures of speech, parable, prophecy, rare words, technical terms, types 
symbols and many other forms of the sacred literature, are very com- 
plete. This volume cannot be read by any thoughtful person without 
a conscious impression that the Bible is a richer and greater book 
than it was ever esteemed before. The reader will feel that he can 
approach its pages with more confidence, that he can lean upon its 
revelations with firmer faith, and that now with clearer understand- 
ing his soul can take deeper hold upon its precious counsels. It is a 
valuable book that serves as a key to unlock a treasure-house ot 
sacred wealth. 

Cloth. 360 pages, price $1.25. 

CHRISTIAN UNION PUBLISHING CO , 

Des Moines, Iowa. 



OCT IS WO* 



*TB 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




006 096 308 3 






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^^^^H 



